From: aull@ll.mit.edu (Brian Aull)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.bahai
Subject: The Process of Social Change - Part 4 of 5
Date: 30 Jul 92 06:02:54 GMT
Organization: <none>

Baha'i Differences in Approach to Social Change

The consultative principles underlying Baha'i institutions and
community life promote an approach to the process of social change
different from that of many organizations sharing the same progressive
social goals.  An examination of some of the contrasts sheds light on
the Baha'i model of social change.

In observance of the principles of their Faith, Baha'is avoid 
involvement in partisan politics and political fights.  They also shun 
civil disobedience and abide by the laws of the countries in which 
they live.  Many friendly critics see such principles as limitations 
placed on the ability of the Baha'i community to promote social 
change.  When understood in proper context, however, the principles 
reflect a potent method of change.  At the root lies the force of 
example in creating a positive alternative based on human values 
that transcend political conflicts.

For many, however, avoiding partisan politics and obeying one's 
government are not satisfactory positions.  They frequently ask how 
the Baha'i teachings deal with tyrannical governments and 
oppressive systems.  Are not movements of revolution or nonviolent 
resistance appropriate under certain circumstances? The Baha'i 
answer lies in the developmental view of society in the Baha'i 
writings.  As in the case of an individual, human society must pass 
through an adolescent stage in its development.  The characteristics 
of adolescence are surging energy, passion, and a spirit of rebellion.  
Adolescents have discovered many of the powers of adulthood and 
want to assert their independence but have not yet gained the calm 
and wisdom of adulthood.  Society today has many adolescent 
characteristics.  Humanity has discovered the scientific method and 
has greatly increased its mastery over the physical world.  A spirit 
of freedom has swept the planet, toppling dynasties and giving 
masses of people an unprecedented role in shaping their affairs.  
Given the oppressive nature of the immature social and political 
systems of the past, the spirit of rebellion underlying political 
changes has had an appropriate role in the historical development of 
human society.

Many modern thinkers and activists are the philosophical heirs of 
the rebellion-inspired model of social change.  The notions of 
dissent, protest, political demands, and civil disobedience permeate 
their vocabulary.  Many of them tend to dehumanize those whom they 
see as oppressors, to question authority, often to the point of 
questioning the validity of the concept of authority, and to exalt 
individual liberty for its own sake.  In fact, the excessive promotion 
of individualism has become a hallmark of modern Western 
societies.

While the sincerity and commitment of social and political activists 
is admirable, the Baha'i teachings indicate that the model of social 
change that inspires their methods is not the ultimate model, even 
though it is a manifestation of a necessary phase in social history.  
Civilization is undergoing its transition from adolescence to 
adulthood.  This transition is characterized by two processes.  One is 
the collapse and disintegration of institutions that reflect and 
perpetuate archaic values.  The other is the building of new 
institutions that promote the unity of the human family.  The 
purpose of the Baha'i Faith is to foster the latter process.  It, 
therefore, promotes a new model of social change, which may be 
termed the adult model to distinguish it from the adolescent model 
of modern political activists.

Table I contrasts the characteristics of the two models of social 
change.  One should not condemn the adolescent model but should 
realize that this model can only carry human social evolution to a 
certain point.  Neither should one expect an abrupt transition at 
which the adolescent model stops operating and the adult model 
takes over.  The transition takes place over time, and the working 
models of many activists often include elements from both models.

Table 1. Models of Social Change

	   Adolescent		Adult

	Rebellion and		Consultation and
	Promotion of		Exemplification of human
	   ideology			values
	Conflict driven		Unity driven
	Civil disobedience	Civil obedience
	Dehumanizing		Healing oppressors
	   oppressors
	Freedom and		Freedom as a means to
	   individualism		ampler manifestations of
	   promoted for		human achievement
	   their own sake
	Mistrust of		Upholding the concept of
	   authority and		authority and institutions
	   institutions

The Baha'i community is not rooted in a spirit of rebellion against 
the existing social order, nor does it align itself with specific 
governments, political factions, or ideologies.  One reason for this is 
that Baha'is believe that the most effective way of correcting the 
ills of society is to display the characteristics of the society one 
wishes to build.  Thus the emphasis is on building a new society by 
exemplifying the appropriate values rather than trying to destroy 
the existing social order.

Baha'u'llah's teachings have universal appeal to the altruistic and 
spiritual aspirations of human beings.  His call beckons the 
aristocrat as well as the peasant, the laborer as well as the 
entrepreneur, the statesman as well as the private citizen.  Many 
ideologies, on the contrary, tend to single out particular groups or 
classes of people as the heroes or villains of history.  Although some 
ideologies may be more in harmony with the Baha'i teachings than 
others, the Baha'i teachings are unique in presenting a 
comprehensive vision of change that addresses the spiritual, social, 
cultural, economic, and political realities of human life.

The means used to bring about social change are as important to 
Baha'is as the content of the changes.  One purpose of the Baha'i 
Faith is to promote a political culture that is nonadversarial and 
characterized by compassion and cooperation and that uses 
consultation and the promotion of solidarity as the "engines" of 
social change.  The divisive climate of contemporary political 
cultures is regarded by Baha'is as a social ill in itself, even when 
the conflict and opposition are precipitated by legitimate issues.  
Ideological and political conflicts polarize to the extent that they 
promote a narrow-minded attachment to specific factions and 
ideologies, rather than fostering loyalty to the broader values that 
inspired their creation.  This leads to an entrenched pattern of self-
righteousness and defensiveness, which in turn prevents the kind of 
consensus-building that would enable diverse participants to 
discover shared values and apply them to the problems of society in 
new ways that synthesize insights springing from diverse 
perspectives.

The use of civil disobedience by modern activists illustrates the 
contrast between the adolescent and adult paradigms of change.  Its 
popularity among activists is a legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin 
Luther King, both of whom used it with a great deal of success 
against oppressive social orders.  The reason, however, that Gandhi 
and King wielded such moral and political force was that they were 
motivated by a desire to change the hearts of oppressors and help 
them see the truth.  Therefore, while seeking justice, they also 
demonstrated a spirit of love that extended even to the oppressor.  It 
was this spirit, rather than the use of civil disobedience, that 
exerted such a powerful influence.  Much of the civil disobedience 
that occurs today, however, is not of the same moral caliber.  It is 
merely a political strategy, a technique to generate publicity and 
win political victories.  Many who use civil disobedience show 
hostility toward those whom they see as oppressors.  The idea that 
the loving spirit and educative motivation are as important as the 
short-term political outcome has been largely forgotten.

The acceptance of civil disobedience as a routine instrument of 
change implies that individuals have the ultimate right to disobey or 
ignore any law with which they disagree.  If such is the case, what 
is the purpose of having laws?  Must we wait until the system 
becomes "perfect" before agreeing to abide by the outcome of the 
public consensus-building process that is encoded in laws? From the 
Baha'i perspective, a yes answer to the latter question is self-
contradictory because a spirit of respect for and cooperation with 
civic and legal processes is a prerequisite to the perfection of those 
processes.  Therefore, the abuse of authority and the misuse of 
social institutions do not justify methods that tend to undermine 
the concept of authority and deny the legitimacy of the existence of 
institutions.  For Baha'is a point of departure is to affirm the 
legitimacy of law and government as instruments of social justice 
and then to concentrate on the promotion of values that will ensure 
the proper use of these instruments.  This is why Baha'is do not use 
civil disobedience as a method for change. (Even the refusal of 
Baha'is in Iran to recant their faith, an example of the rare 
conditions in which Baha'is disobey authority, is an act of spiritual 
self-protection, not an act of political protest.)

Ultimately, the only truly effective solution to oppression is a 
global one.  The international community as a whole must create 
instruments to uphold standards of human rights and nonagression.  
In fact, the Baha'i teachings envision the use of force by an 
international government against a recalcitrant national 
government.  However, to Baha'is, the process involved in fostering a 
climate for the creation of such international peace instruments is 
not a process of revolt.  A characteristic of movements of revolt is 
the dehumanization of "the oppressor." Because of this, many 
revolutions merely replace one oppressor with another one.  
Therefore, to eliminate oppressive systems from the world, the 
vicious cycle must be broken at some point.  Baha'is see even "the 
oppressor" as someone who can be engaged in a therapeutic 
relationship and healed by the force of example.  This perspective is 
rooted in the life of Baha'u'llah Himself, Whose conduct and 
character often transformed His enemies and persecutors into 
devoted friends and supporters.

The Baha'i community of South Africa provides an instructive 
example.  In Baha'i elections, a form of "affirmative action" is 
practiced.  When a tie vote occurs, and one of the parties represents 
a disfranchised ethnic group, the tie is automatically broken in that 
person's favor.  At one point it became illegal in South Africa for 
Baha'i spiritual assemblies to be racially integrated.  In response 
the white Baha'is voluntarily gave up membership on the spiritual 
assemblies but pledged to abide by the authority of assemblies 
consisting only of blacks.  Paradoxically, this act of obedience to the 
government made a morally compelling statement against white 
supremacy without confronting civil authorities in a hostile way.  It 
demonstrated the validity of a moral principle as something that 
transcends partisan political loyalties and presented a unique appeal 
for change on the broadest humanitarian grounds.

The concept of civil disobedience is one manifestation of the degree 
to which individual liberty is exalted in Western cultures.  While 
freedom of action and expression 's indispensable to constructive 
social processes, the Baha'i teachings warn against the 
indiscriminate and excessive promotion of liberty and individualism.  
The purpose of freedom is to enable human beings to fulfill the dual 
responsibilities of individual spiritual development and social 
progress, which implies that freedom should have limits.  Not only 
should the force of law be respected, but the relationship between 
individuals and the governing institutions of society should be 
characterized by a spirit of cooperation and good will that 
recognizes mutual benefits.  The institutions rely on the support, 
loyalty, and even the love of individuals, and , in turn, the well-being 
and development of individuals is fostered by the support of their 
institutions.  This is the spirit of the social and administrative 
processes for which the Baha'i community strives and a model for 
future relationships between governments and the governed, 
management and labor, parents and children, and other such 
relationships in society.
--
Brian Aull						aull@ll.mit.edu