March 26. On this date in 1950, a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer referred to homosexual acts as "wrong," adding that "through the advice and help of doctors, through a strong and determined effort, and through prayer, a soul can overcome this handicap."

 

March 26. On this date in 1950, a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer referred to homosexual acts as "wrong," adding that "through the advice and help of doctors, through a strong and determined effort, and through prayer, a soul can overcome this handicap."

1223. Through Advice, Help of Doctors, and Prayer, Can Overcome This Handicap

"No matter how devoted and fine the love may be between people of the same sex, to let it find expression in sexual acts is wrong. To say that it is ideal is no excuse. Immorality of every sort is really forbidden by Bahá'u'lláh, and homosexual relationships he looks upon as such, besides being against nature.

"To be afflicted this way is a great burden to a conscientious soul. But through the advice and help of doctors, through a strong and determined effort, and through prayer, a soul can overcome this handicap.

"God judges each soul on its own merits. The Guardian cannot tell you what the attitude of God would be towards a person who lives a good life in most ways, but not in this way. All he can tell you is that it is forbidden by Bahá'u'lláh, and that one so afflicted should struggle and struggle again to overcome it. We must be hopeful of God's Mercy but not impose upon it."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, March 26, 1950)

Among his numerous talks to American believers, Abu'l-Qásim Faizi touched on the topic of homosexuality . Abu'l-Qásim Faizi was a Hand of the Cause of God who studied at the American University of Beirut where he was good friends with Munib Shahid.

Transcript: Beloved friends, we are living at the end of all ages. We are living at a time when an old civilization is dying, and parts of it are dead. It is dead and as a dead body the stinking smells of a dead corpse is spread everywhere. There are all these problems that are asked by the youth are these stinking smells of this dead body of civilization, and one of them is this problem. Bahá'u'lláh says "my pen is ashamed to mention it." Now see how corrupted the world is that even in a Baha'i community somebody asked it, mentions it. Bahá'u'lláh says his pen is ashamed to mention it. This shows how degraded humanity is, into what a pitfall man has fallen, and how they have lost all standards all levels of life to them. Now we must come together as I said at the beginning. We must be closer to each other. More in love with each other so that we form a great magnet. That magnet will attract all the people around you, and by coming into that atmosphere of the Bahá'í Faith they will forget their childish thoughts. All their problems will dissolve. The beloved Guardian had been asked about this. He said refer to competent physicians. This is curable. It means it is a disease not something natural. Absolutely unnatural.

Abu'l-Qásim Faizi's reference to Shoghi Effendi's calling homosexuality a disease rests on several sources, such as a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer on March 26, 1950, which referred to homosexual acts as "wrong," adding that "through the advice and help of doctors, through a strong and determined effort, and through prayer, a soul can overcome this handicap."