Commit not, O people, that which will bring shame upon you or dishonor the Cause of God in the eyes of men, and be not of the mischief-makers. Approach not the things which your minds condemn. Eschew all manner of wickedness, for such things are forbidden unto you in the Book which none touch except such as God hath cleansed from every taint of guilt, and numbered among the purified.
Guilt
Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 277-278
It is because of this dual guilt, the things it has done and the things it has left undone, its misdeeds as well as its dismal and signal failure to accomplish its clear and unmistakable duty towards God, His Messenger, and His Faith, that this grievous ordeal, whatever its immediate political and economic causes, has laid its adamantine grip upon it.
Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p. 115
Not only must irreligion and its monstrous offspring, the triple curse that oppresses the soul of mankind in this day, be held responsible for the ills which are so tragically besetting it, but other evils and vices, which are, for the most part, the direct consequences of the "weakening of the pillars of religion," must also be regarded as contributory factors to the manifold guilt of which individuals and nations stand convicted.
Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 237
Owing to the legacy of victimization and also the sense of guilt which many feel in relation to this issue, the race-unity work can often arouse strong emotions. Thus, it is inevitable that there will be exaggerated expressions on the subject from time to time.
The Universal House of Justice, 1998 Mar 24, Most Challenging Issue
So too is paralysis engendered by guilt to be avoided; indeed, preoccupation with a particular moral failing can, at times, make it more challenging for it to be overcome.
Universal House of Justice, to individual believers, 19 April 2013
The confused feelings on your part are understandable, considering the extreme trauma you have experienced, and it is not unusual for those who are victimized to feel guilty for situations that occurred through no fault
of their own.
Universal House of Justice, to an individual, 12 January 2010
The personal transformation required for true equality will undoubtedly be difficult for men and women alike. Both must relinquish all attachment to guilt and blame and courageously assume responsibility for their own part in transforming the societies in which they live.
Bahá’í International Community, 1995 Sept 13, Role of Religion in Promoting Advancement of Women
