You say that you
were particularly disturbed by the punishments prescribed for certain offences,
presumably those for theft, murder and arson. As is explained in Note 42 on
page 64 of the "Synopsis and Codification of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas",
these punishments are intended for a future condition of society and will have
to be supplemented and applied by the Universal House of Justice. The
punishment for theft, for example, says that for the third offence a mark must
be placed on the thief's forehead (nothing is said about branding), so that
people will be warned of his proclivities. All details of how the mark is to be
applied, how long it must be worn, on what conditions it may be removed, as
well as the seriousness of various degrees of theft have been left by
Bahá'u'lláh for the Universal House of Justice to decide when the law has to be
applied. Similarly, only the fundamental principles of the punishments for
murder and arson are given in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Wilful murder is to be
punished either by capital punishment or life imprisonment.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter
dated 1 September 1975 written by the Universal House of Justice to an individual
believer, included in a Memorandum from the Research Department of the
Universal House of Justice dated 23 May 1991)
