The contemporary discussion surrounding homosexuality, which
began in the West and is increasingly promoted in other parts of the world,
generally takes the form of a false dichotomy, which compels one to choose
between a position that is either affirming or rejecting. It is understandable
that Bahá’ís would be sensitive to acts of prejudice or oppression in any form
and to the needs of those who suffer as a result. But to align with either side
in the public debate is to accept the premises on which it is based. Moreover,
this debate occurs within the context of a rising tide of materialism and
consequent reorientation of society, over more than a century, which has among
its outcomes a destructive emphasis on sexuality. Various philosophies and
theories have eroded precepts of right and wrong that govern personal behavior.
For some, relativism reigns and individuals are to determine their own moral
preferences; others dismiss the very conception of personal morality,
maintaining that any standard that restrains what is considered a natural impulse
is harmful to the individual and ultimately to society. Self- indulgence, in
the guise of expressing one's true nature, becomes the norm, even the
touchstone of healthy living. Consequently, sexuality has become a
preoccupation, pervading commerce, media, the arts, and popular culture,
influencing disciplines such as medicine, psychology, and education and
reducing the human being to an object. It is no longer merely a part of life,
but becomes the defining element of a person's identity. At its most extreme, the
doctrine aggressively propagated in some societies is that it is abnormal for
adolescents to restrain their sexual impulses, unreasonable for young adults to
marry without first having had sexual relations, and impossible for a married
couple to remain monogamous. The unbounded expression of sexuality in almost
any form is thought to be natural and is accepted as a matter of course, the
only limitation being to cause no harm to others, while any notion to the
contrary is deemed narrow-minded or retrogressive. The question of same-sex
marriage arises not simply as an appeal for fairness within a framework of
existing values but as another step, presumed to be inevitable, in clearing
away the vestiges of what is regarded to be a repressive traditional morality.
- The Universal House of Justice (From
a letter dated 9 May, 2014, written on behalf of the Universal House of justice
to an individual believer)
