609
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
SW: →Involvement in anti-homosexuality campaigns in Uganda and institutional position on homosexuality: add information regarding institutional stance, add refs, add external link
*6-“To be afflicted this way is a great burden to a conscientious soul. But through the advice and help of doctors, through strong and determined effort, and through prayer, a soul can overcome this handicap.” (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, 26 March 1950)
*7- “[T]he Faith does not recognize homosexuality as a “natural” or permanent phenomenon. Rather, it sees this as an aberration subject to treatment…” (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, 22 March 1987)"<ref>[http://www.gaybahai.net/discussion/post/1218227 Re-thinking Same-Sex Attraction: And the General Principles of How to Overcome It], Lynne Schriber, paper plus handout delivered at the ABS (Association for Baha'i Studies) Annual Conference August 12-15, 2010, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Accessed January 29, 2011.</ref>
In an official letter from the [[Universal House of Justice]] to an individual believer, released in 1973, the [[Universal House of Justice]] stated that:
"A number of sexual problems, such as homosexuality and transsexuality can well have medical aspects, and in such cases recourse should certainly be had to the best medical assistance. But it is clear from the teaching of Bahá’u’lláh that homosexuality is not a condition to which a person should be reconciled, but is a distortion of his or her nature which should be controlled or overcome. This may require a hard struggle, but so also can be the struggle of a heterosexual person to control his or her desires. The exercise of self-control in this, as in so very many other aspects of life, has a beneficial effect on the progress of the soul. It should, moreover, be borne in mind that although to be married is highly desirable, and Bahá'u'lláh has strongly recommended it, it is not the central purpose of life. If a person has to wait a considerable period before finding a spouse, or if ultimately, he or she must remain single, it does not mean that he or she is thereby unable to fulfill his or her life’s purpose.
(From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, 12 January 1973; Lights of Guidance, p. 366, #1222)" <ref>[http://www.bnasaa.org/sexuality.html#homosexuality Baha'i Network on Aids, Sexuality, Addictions and Abuse], accessed January 30, 2011.</ref>
In a 1995 letter to a National Spiritual Assembly, the [[Universal House of Justice]] stated that "The condition of being sexually attracted to some object other than a mature member of the opposite sex, a condition of which homosexuality is but one manifestation, is regarded by the Faith as a distortion of true human nature, as a problem to be overcome, no matter what specific physical or psychological condition may be the immediate cause. Any Bahá'í who suffers from such a disability should be treated with understanding, and should be helped to control and overcome it. All of us suffer from imperfections which we must struggle to overcome, and we all need one another’s understanding and patience." <ref>[http://www.bnasaa.org/sexuality.html#homosexuality Baha'i Network on Aids, Sexuality, Addictions and Abuse]. From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly, September 11, 1995. Accessed January 30, 2011.</ref>
Further information and quotations regarding the Baha'i Faith's stance on homosexuality (as well as birth-control and other issues) can be found here: [http://www.bnasaa.org/sexuality.html#homosexuality Baha'i Network on Aids, Sexuality, Addictions and Abuse]
==Contact==
