A new version of the Bahá’í Reference Library is now available. This ‘old version’ of the Bahá’í Reference Library will be replaced at a later date.
The new version of the Bahá’i Reference Library can be accessed here »
A new version of the Bahá’í Reference Library is now available. This ‘old version’ of the Bahá’í Reference Library will be replaced at a later date.
The new version of the Bahá’i Reference Library can be accessed here »
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58. To none is it permitted to seek absolution from another soul # 34 |
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Bahá’u’lláh prohibits confession to, and seeking absolution
of one’s sins from, a human being. Instead one should beg
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forgiveness from God. In the Tablet of Bishárát, He states
that “such confession before people results in one’s humiliation and
abasement”, and He affirms that God “wisheth not the
humiliation of His servants”.
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…are forbidden to confess to any person, as do the
Catholics to their priests, our sins and shortcomings, or
to do so in public, as some religious sects do. However, if
we spontaneously desire to acknowledge we have been
wrong in something, or that we have some fault of
character, and ask another person’s forgiveness or pardon,
we are quite free to do so.
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The Universal House of Justice has also clarified that
Bahá’u’lláh’s prohibition concerning the confession of sins
does not prevent an individual from admitting transgressions
in the course of consultations held under the aegis of
Bahá’í institutions. Likewise, it does not preclude the
possibility of seeking advice from a close friend or of a
professional counsellor regarding such matters.
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