Baha'i Faith and genocide?

[danieldemol]

Hi friends,

I was pondering on some of the verses people use to falsely accuse the Baha'is of genocide, and thought to take it from the top of the list. So this particular discussion will be of the Baha'i verse,
"Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved ones". Shoghi Effendi, who as Baha'is know is the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, and an authoritative voice states the following;

In the passage "eschew all fellowship with the ungodly", Bahá'u'lláh means that we should shun the company of those who disbelieve in God and are wayward. The word "ungodly" is a reference to such perverse people. The words "Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved ones" should not be taken in their literal sense. Bahá'u'lláh's advice is that again we should flee from the enemies of God, and instead seek the fellowship of His lovers.

(Shoghi Effendi, Dawn of a New Day, p. 200)

In the above passage bold font and underlines are my own added for emphasis.

So basically the phrase be like a flame of fire is NOT a call to genocide the people of other faiths, but simply a call to shun perverse people.

It got me to wondering though, why use the imagery of being like a flame of fire. I speculated that the opposition of those whose opposition was born of lust for leadership would feel figuratively burned by being shunned as they are used to esteem in the eyes of the people.

I think it may also involve Baha'i imagery a little more than that though. Baha'u'lllah says in the Iqan,

The proof of the sun is the light thereof, which shineth and envelopeth all things. The evidence of the shower is the bounty thereof, which reneweth and investeth the world with the mantle of life. Yea, the blind can perceive naught from the sun except its heat

(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 207)

In a sense then, truthfulness is as a light to the seeing, and heat to the blind. Truthfulness burns the liar and the hypocrite (once again figuratively speaking).

In conclusion I find no evidence that the Baha'i writings contain the call to genocide the people of other religions.

Kind regards

 

[arthra]

I would agree...

Perhaps a reference to the present situation of Baha'is as being under a threat of genocide would be apropos:

A Quiet Genocide Home