Dear Bahá'í Friend,
In response to your letter of 28 July 1987, we have been asked by the
Universal House of Justice to quote below for your benefit from letters
written on its behalf concerning Alcoholics Anonymous.
The malign effects of the widespread use of alcoholic beverages upon
almost every society in the world cannot but confirm every Bahá'í in the
wisdom of Bahá'u'lláh in banning its use, thereby shielding faithful
believers from a legion of difficulties . . .
The Bahá'í community should feel free to call upon such agencies as
Alcoholics Anonymous for assistance and upon public agencies who work
with the problem, but must realize that the greatest healing of this social
and individual disease is God's Cause which in its fulness will eliminate
the causes of alcoholism . . .
(From letter to a National Assembly dated 8 August 1979)
The Universal House of Justice . . . has instructed us to say that there
is no objection to Bahá'ís being members of Alcoholics Anonymous, which
is an association that does a great deal of good in assisting alcoholics to
overcome their lamentable condition. The sharing of experiences which the
members undertake does not conflict with the Bahá'í prohibition on the
confession of sins; it is more in the nature of the therapeutic relationship
between a patient and a psychiatrist.
(From letter to an individual believer dated 26 August 1986)
4 June 1987
Dear Bahá'í Friends:
Your memo of 28 May enclosing ...'s letter concerning confession has
been received. There does not
appear to be any conflict between Step 5 of the Alcoholics Anonymous
program and the Bahá'í
teachings concerning confession.
(From letter to a Local Spiritual Assembly, 4 June
1987)
The references within the Faith to prohibition of confession pertain to
either public confession
as a part of religious rites or to private confession to seek absolution
from sins. A letter
written on behalf of the Guardian states,
" . . .. If we spontaneously desire
to acknowledge we
have been wrong in something, or that we have some fault of character,
and ask another person's
forgiveness or pardon, we are quite free to do so."
The attached quotation from the compilation on consultation appears to be
relevant. It is
concerned with solving personal problems, and the final paragraph deals
with discussing a
problem with the intent of finding a solution. The Alcoholics Anonymous
program seems clearly
to be concerned with the solution of the problem as opposed to public
confession or confession
to seek absolution of sin.
If this does not provide a sufficient answer to ...'s question, please
don't hesitate to let us know.
"Your letter of 14 February 1973 enquiring about the uses of Bahá'í
consultation has been
received.
"This is, of course, a matter in which rigidity should be avoided.
"When a
believer has a problem
concerning which he must make a decision, he has several courses open to
him. If it is a matter
that affects the interests of the Faith he should consult with the
appropriate Assembly or
committee, but individuals have many problems which are purely personal
and there is no
obligation upon them to take such problems to the institution of the Faith;
indeed, when the
needs of the teaching work are of such urgency it is better if the friends
will not burden their
Assemblies with personal problems that they can solve by themselves.
"A Bahá'í who has a problem may wish to make his own decision upon it
after prayer and after
weighing all the aspects of it in his own mind; he may prefer to seek the
counsel of individual
friends or of professional counsellors such as his doctor or lawyer so that
he can consider such
advice when making his decision; or in a case where several people are
involved, such as a
family situation, he may want to gather together those who are affected
so that they may arrive
at a collective decision. There is also no objection whatever to Bahá'í's
asking a group of people
to consult together on a problem facing him.
"It should be borne in mind that all consultation is aimed at arriving at a
solution to a problem
and is quite different from the sort of group baring of the soul that is
popular in some circles
these days and which borders on the kind of confession that is forbidden in
the Faith. On the
subject of confession the Guardian's secretary wrote on his behalf to an
individual believer: "We
are forbidden to confess to any persons, as do the Catholics to their
priests, our sins and
shortcomings, or to do so in public, as some religious sects do. However,
if we spontaneously
desire to acknowledge we have been wrong in something, or that we have
some fault of
character, and ask another person's forgiveness or pardon, we are quite
free to do so. The
Guardian wants to point out, however, that we are not obliged to do so. It
rests entirely with the
individual.'"
(From a letter dated March 19, 1973 to a National Spiritual Assembly