A Bahá'í recognizes that one aspect of his spiritual and
intellectual growth is to foster the development of his conscience in the light
of divine Revelation -- a Revelation which, in addition to providing a wealth
of spiritual and ethical principles, exhorts man "to free himself from
idle fancy and imitation, discern with the eye of oneness His glorious
handiwork, and look into all things with a searching eye". This process of
development, therefore, involves a clear-sighted examination of the conditions
of the world with both heart and mind. A Bahá'í will understand that an upright
life is based upon observance of certain principles which stem from Divine
Revelation and which he recognizes as essential for the well-being of both the
individual and society. In order to uphold such principles, he knows that, in
certain cases, the voluntary submission of the promptings of his own personal
conscience to the decision of the majority is a conscientious requirement, as
in wholeheartedly accepting the majority decision of an Assembly at the outcome
of consultation. (From a letter dated 8 February 1998 written on behalf of the
Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)
