Justice, Morality and Religion

I hope that each one of you will become just, and direct your thoughts towards the unity of mankind; that you will never harm your neighbours nor speak ill of any one; that you will respect the rights of all men, and be more concerned for the interests of others than for your own. Thus will you become torches of Divine justice,

(Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks: 160)

 I would like to return to certain images characteristic of justice, because justice and morality interpenetrate and thus share certain qualities.

Justice, discerning the truth in words and deeds and what is fair and equitable socially, and morality, living principles of right and wrong, interpenetrate because both use reward and punishment to train behavior, which come from foundational statements of divine promise and the threat, as can be seen in the Golden rule, the Mosaic Code of commandments, and in the spiritual principles of Baha'u'llah.  Recall that the promise of reward and the threat of punishment, of gain and loss, generate the primary sentiments of hope and fear, expectation and regret.

Justice and morality are also interconnected if, as the Master asserts: “Truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues.”  Discerning truth is the special power of the faculty of justice, whose axial value is equity, which Baha’u’llah names “the most fundamental among human virtues”, a virtue so central to our collective happiness that “the evaluation of all things must needs depend upon it.” (Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah: 202)  The personal morality of society’s leaders is the guiding model of that society, though higher principles ideally govern  the actions of the members of society. But, too, equity is a form of truthfulness as seeking the truth that is unity in any situation.  Again, truth is discerned by the faculty of justice.

Similarly, one of the images of justice is the balance, the inner equilibrium of human qualities.  The Master says the means to accomplish this is to oppose the passions to create that inner balance that is moderation. “The third element of the utterance under discussion is, 'opposes his passions.' How wonderful are the implications of this deceptively easy, all-inclusive phrase. This is the very foundation of every laudable human quality; indeed, these few words embody the light of the world, the impregnable basis of all the spiritual attributes of human beings. This is the balance wheel of all behavior, the means of keeping all man's good qualities in equilibrium.” (Abdu'l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization: 59)

The same principle is expressed in regards to the moral ecology of the human family: “Similarly, with regard to the peoples who clamour for freedom: the moderate freedom which guarantees the welfare of the world of mankind and maintains and preserves the universal relationships, is found in its fullest power and extension in the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh.” (Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha,: 305)

Finally, the faculties of justice and morality further interrelate because they are connected by religion.  “If administrators of the law," states ‘Abdu’l-Baha, “would take into consideration the spiritual consequences of their decisions, and follow the guidance of religion, 'They would be Divine agents in the world of action, the representatives of God for those who are on earth, and they would defend, for the love of God, the interests of His servants as they would defend their own.' If a governor realizes his responsibility, and fears to defy the Divine Law, his judgments will be just. Above all, if he believes that the consequences of his actions will follow him beyond his earthly life, and that 'as he sows so must he reap', such a man will surely avoid injustice and tyranny.” (Paris Talks: 158)  “Behold how important it is that Ministers of State should be enlightened by religion!” (Paris Talks: 157)

And should anyone think that his private actions have little or no social influence, ponder this statement from Baha’u’llah: “A good character is, verily, the best mantle for men from God. With it He adorneth the temples of His loved ones. By My life! The light of a good character surpasseth the light of the sun and the radiance thereof. Whoso attaineth unto it is accounted as a jewel among men. The glory and the upliftment of the world must needs depend upon it.” (Tablets of Baha'u'llah: 36)

Human moral advance, both individually and collectively, is intimately tied to our connection with the spiritual dimension of creation.  Good moral behavior is the one means that any soul, high or low, rich or poor, may use to advance civilization and fulfill one of his central purposes.  This dimension is also within the human reality.  Only the creative message of the Manifestations of God, which sets that dimension reverberating with new energy, brings them into connection.  By Their influence the darkness of the human world is illumined, and the dark coal of the lower nature is turned into sparkling diamonds of the higher nature.  But all must pass the tests of justice and reason.  As the Master put it: “A good character is in the sight of God and His chosen ones and the possessors of insight, the most excellent and praiseworthy of all things, but always on condition that its center of emanation should be reason and knowledge and its base should be true moderation.” (The Secret of Divine Civilization: 59)