Excerpts from the Writings of the Baha’i Faith…

Oct 13, 2019

As human beings “we have been given the capacity to know and love God and to consciously obey Him”

…basic to the Baha'i Teachings is the concept that it is only God Who knows the purpose of human life, and Who can convey this to us through His Manifestations. A distinguishing feature of human existence is that we have been given the capacity to know and love God and to consciously obey Him. Thus we also have the converse: the ability to turn away from God, to fail to love Him and to disobey Him. Indeed, left to himself, man is naturally inclined towards evil. Human beings need not only assistance in defining acceptable behaviour of one person towards another, but also guidance which will help them to refrain from doing that which is spiritually damaging to themselves.
- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 11 September 1995 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly)