As regards the passages in the sacred writings indicating
the wrath of God; Shoghi Effendi says that the Divinity has many attributes: He
is loving and merciful but also just. Just as reward and punishment, according
to Bahá’u’lláh, are the pillars upon which society rests, so mercy and justice
may be considered as their counterpart in the world to come. Should we disobey
God and work against His commands He will view our acts in the light of justice
and punish us for it. That punishment may not be in the form of fire, as some
believe, but in the form of spiritual deprivation and degradation. This is why
we read so often in the prayers statements such as “God do not deal with us
with justice, but rather through thy infinite mercy.” The wrath of God is in
the administration of His justice, both in this world and in the world to come.
A God that is only loving or only just is not a perfect God. The divinity has
to possess both of these aspects as every father ought to express both in his
attitude towards his children. If we ponder a while, we will see that our
welfare can be insured only when both of these divine attributes are equally
emphasised and practiced.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 29 April 1933 written on behalf
of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Arohanui: Letters from Shoghi
Effendi to New Zealand’)
