Directives From the Guardian
173 RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATIONS, NON-BAHÁ'Í
"Concerning membership in non-Baha'i religious associations,
the Guardian wishes to re-emphasize the general principle
already laid down in his communications to your Assembly and
also to the individual believers that no Bahá'í who wishes to be
a whole hearted and sincere upholder of the distinguishing
principles of the Cause can accept full membership in any non-Baha'i
ecclesiastical organization. For such an act would necessarily
imply only a partial acceptance of the Teachings and Laws
of the Faith, and an incomplete recognition of its independent
status, and would thus be tantamount to an act of disloyalty to
the verities it enshrines. For it is only too obvious that in most
of its fundamental assumptions the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh is
completely at variance with outworn creeds, ceremonies, and
institutions. To be a Bahá'í and at the same time accept membership
in another religious body is simply an act of contradiction
that no sincere and logically-minded person can possibly
accept. To follow Bahá'u'lláh does not mean accepting some
of His teachings and rejecting the rest. Allegiance to His
Cause must be uncompromising and whole-hearted. During
the days of the Master the Cause was still in a stage that made
such an open and sharp disassociation between it and other
religious organizations, and particularly the Muslim Faith
not only inadvisable but practically impossible to establish.
But since His passing, events throughout the Bahá'í World
and particularly in Egypt where the Muslim religious courts
have formally testified to the independent character of the
Faith, have developed to a point that have made such an assertion
of the independence of the Cause not only highly desirable
but absolutely essential."
Directives From the Guardian
pages 64-65
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