Aniconism in the Bahá'í Faith
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For the followers of the Bahá'í Faith, the photographs and depictions of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh, who are considered Manifestations of God, are considered very precious. They are viewed and handled with reverence and respect, and their existence itself is not considered offensive. However, Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, stated that believers should only view the images when they can be treated with the utmost respect, and not let them be exposed to the public or displayed in their private homes:
- "There is no objection that the believers look at the picture of Bahá'u'lláh, but they should do so with the utmost reverence, and should also not allow that it be exposed openly to the public, even in their private homes."
- (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, December 6, 1939, republished in Lights of Guidance, p. 540)
Shoghi Effendi, has also written in the Directives from the Guardian regarding the portrait of the Báb:
- "The portrait of the Báb should be regarded as an inestimable privilege and blessing to behold, as past generations were denied a glimpse of the Face of the Manifestation, once He had passed on."[1][2]
- (Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 43)
Two pictures of Bahá'u'lláh and a portrait of the Báb are on display at the Bahá'í World Centre in the International Archives building, where the Bahá'ís view it as part of an organized pilgrimage.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Shoghi Effendi: Directives from the Guardian Published in 1973. Accessed on February 2, 2006 from http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/DG/dg-115.html.
- ^ De Vries, Jelle: The Babi Question You Mentioned?The Origins of the Bahá'í Community of the Netherlands, pg. 243. Peeters Publishers, 2002.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Jack Goody, Representations and Contradictions: Ambivalence Towards Images, Theatre, Fiction, Relics and Sexuality, London, Blackwell Publishers, 1997. ISBN 0631205268.
- Compiled by Helen Bassett Hornby (1988). Lights of Guidance: A Bahá'í Reference File. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, India. ISBN 81-85091-46-3.
