Ungodly
From Bahai9
Eschew all fellowship with the ungodly
"O FRIEND!
"In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love, and from the nightingale of affection and desire loosen not thy hold. Treasure the companionship of the righteous and eschew all fellowship with the ungodly."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Hidden Words from the Persian, no. 3)
The company of the ungodly increases sorrow
"O MY SON!
"The company of the ungodly increaseth sorrow, whilst fellowship with the righteous cleanseth the rust from off the heart. He that seeketh to commune with God, let him betake himself to the companionship of His loved ones; and he that desireth to hearken unto the word of God, let him give ear to the words of His chosen ones."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Hidden Words from the Persian, no. 56)
Do not walk with or seek fellowship with the ungodly, as it turns the heart's radiance into fire
"O SON OF DUST!
"Beware! Walk not with the ungodly and seek not fellowship with him, for such companionship turneth the radiance of the heart into infernal fire."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Hidden Words from the Persian, no. 57)
Shun those who disbelieve in god and are wayward
"In the passage 'eschew all fellowship with the ungodly,' Bahá'u'lláh means that we should shun the company of those who disbelieve in God and are wayward. The word 'ungodly' is a reference to such perverse people. The words 'Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved ones' should not be taken in their literal sense. Bahá'u'lláh's advice is that again we should flee from the enemies of God and instead seek the fellowship of His lovers."
- (Shoghi Effendi, Dawn of a New Day, p. 200; in Lights of Guidance, no. 1608)
For some wrongdoers, with discretion and tact, one can try to warn and educate them, but for some, only people with perfect integrity should associate with them; institutions should protect public from such individuals; associate with people of all religions and races but do not have fellowship with the wicked/people of negation/denial
"Question: `How should one associate with people of bad character?' `Abdu'l-Bahá replied:
"This, too, has two aspects. There are certain evils whose consequences affect the doer only and do not extend to others. Of course, with discretion and tact, we must try to warn and educate wrongdoers. They are sick; we must bring healing to them. But there are actions which are injurious to others. Association with persons who commit such deeds leads to a deterioration of morals and therefore to mingle with them is not advisable, except for persons of perfect integrity, who can also impart education. They should be exhorted to exert themselves to modify their morals and refine their behavior. The public should be protected from such harmful conduct by the institutions which administer justice. Thus, in the Tablets of the Blessed Beauty, although He commends association with people of all religions and races, He also forbids fellowship with the wicked, admonishing us to shun the people of negation and denial."
- (Mahmúd's Diary, Thursday, May 2, 1912, Chicago)
Continuing dialogue with those who show a fixed antagonism to the Faith and who demonstrate to be impervious to any other ideas, is usually fruitless and even spiritually corrosive
"Discussion with those who sincerely raise problematic issues, whether they be Bahá'ís or not, and whether -- if the latter -- they disagree with Bahá'í teachings, can be beneficial and enlightening. However, to continue dialogue with those who have shown a fixed antagonism to the Faith, and have demonstrated their imperviousness to any ideas other than their own, is usually fruitless and, for the Bahá'ís who take part, can be burdensome and even spiritually corrosive."
(On behalf of the Universal House of Justice, on Academic Methodologies, at http://bahai-library.com/file.php?file=uhj_academic_methodologies )
Todos
- There are other passages about the importance of respecting other's rights, being kindly to all, etc.; this is about willful association; a lot of quotations are relevant to be added to give a fuller picture here
- Include http://bahai-library.com/uhj_self-defense_ungodly_infallibility#s3
