…as a Bahá'í, you know that what Bahá'u'lláh teaches about
the purpose of human life, the nature of the human being and the proper conduct
of human lives, is divinely revealed and therefore true. However, it will
inevitably take time for you not only to study the Bahá'í teachings so that you
clearly understand them, but also to work out how they modify your professional
concepts. This is, of course, not an unusual predicament for a scientist. How
often in the course of research is a factor discovered which requires a
revolution in thinking over a wide field of human endeavor. You must be guided
in each case by your own professional knowledge and judgment as illuminated by
your growing knowledge of the Bahá'í teachings; undoubtedly you will find that
your own understanding of the human problems dealt with in your work will
change and develop and you will see new and improved ways of helping the people
who come to you. Psychology is still a very young and inexact science, and as
the years go by Bahá'í psychologists, who know from the teachings of
Bahá'u'lláh the true pattern of human life, will be able to make great strides
in the development of this science, and will help profoundly in the alleviation
of human suffering.
(The Universal House of Justice, from a message dated 6
February 1973, ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1968 –1973’)
