The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the authoritative views of the Baha'i Faith.
…all phenomena are divided into that which eats and that which is eaten. – Abdu’l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 52.
“Do Baha’is agree on everything?” Someone asked me the other day.
No, they don’t. After all, Baha’is come from all cultures and civilizations, from every race and tribal group, from all social classes, from every nation on Earth. Baha’is think independently, and because the Baha’i Faith has no clergy, dogma or orthodoxy, are free to think as they see fit.
So while Baha’is definitely agree on the core principles of their Faith, we can also differ substantially in our views and opinions about many things. Because the Baha’i Faith is not a cult, where the members’ thoughts and viewpoints are tightly controlled and manipulated, Baha’is have the freedom to hold their own ideas, and the Baha’i teachings openly expect and encourage that diversity of opinion. The Baha’i writings say clearly that people:
…must take counsel together in such wise that no occasion for ill-feeling or discord may arise. This can be attained when every member expresseth with absolute freedom his own opinion and setteth forth his argument. Should anyone oppose, he must on no account feel hurt for not until matters are fully discussed can the right way be revealed. The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions. – Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 87.
So no, individual Baha’is don’t always agree with each other, which is normal and natural. Here’s one example: hunting and eating animals. To illustrate that healthy difference in points of view, today we’ll publish two essays here at BahaiTeachings.org—one from Mark Heinz, a Baha’i who hunts, kills and eats wild game; and this essay from me, which explains why I personally oppose the practice. We thought that the truth might emerge with this friendly clash of differing opinions.
I used to hunt as a young boy, but gave it up at 12 years old, three years before I first encountered the Baha’i Faith. I gave it up for a few reasons: my family moved from rural Washington State, where game was plentiful and abundant, to urban Arizona, where the only game was an occasional rattlesnake. Also, my family’s economic status improved a little, and I no longer had to shoot a pheasant or a duck for dinner so my little brothers and sisters could eat. But mostly, I gave up hunting because I had a beautiful seven-point buck in my rifle sights and couldn’t pull the trigger.
Anyone who grew up hunting knows that moment, because it’s become a rite of passage—going on your first deer hunt with Dad. My father, an excellent tracker and hunter, decided to take me along when I had grown up enough to handle a deer rifle. I had hunted smaller targets, mostly birds, since I was seven or eight, so I knew enough to graduate to bigger game. The venison from the deer I planned to shoot would feed our family of seven for much of the winter, so this was no sport hunting—it had real full-stomach or empty-stomach consequences.
On the third day of our hunt my father and I, after several miserably cold hours on the trail of a deer with huge hoofprints, finally saw him. From my perch behind a tree I drew a bead on him, and at that moment he raised his head and looked my way. From the excitement and anticipation of my first big kill, I immediately experienced an emotion I hadn’t felt before: I was awestruck. That buck, with his majestic antlers and his intelligent eyes and his tawny thick coat, seemed suddenly the epitome of grace and beauty to me. I wanted to squeeze the trigger, and would have—but I literally couldn’t. He was so intensely alive that taking his life, even to feed my family, seemed to violate some deep law of the universe. I handed the rifle to my father, and surprisingly, he didn’t want to shoot that buck, either. We let him go.
I realized I had reached a seminal point in my life. I knew, from that moment on, that I didn’t want to intentionally harm any living being. I haven’t since then. Am I a vegan? No—I still eat fish or turkey, although less and less these days, as my wife and I try to gradually shift to a plant-based diet. Meanwhile, I try to guide my dietary decisions by these two quotes from the Baha’i writings:
Truly, the killing of animals and the eating of their meat is somewhat contrary to pity and compassion, and if one can content oneself with cereals, fruit, oil and nuts, such as pistachios, almonds and so on, it would undoubtedly be better and more pleasing. – from a tablet of Abdu’l-Baha to an individual Baha’i.
I have read thy letter, wherein thou didst express astonishment at some of the laws of God, such as that concerning the hunting of innocent animals, creatures who are guilty of no wrong.
Be thou not surprised at this. Reflect upon the inner realities of the universe, the secret wisdoms involved, the enigmas, the inter-relationships, the rules that govern all. For every part of the universe is connected with every other part by ties that are very powerful and admit of no imbalance, nor any slackening whatever. In the physical realm of creation, all things are eaters and eaten: the plant drinketh in the mineral, the animal doth crop and swallow down the plant, man doth feed upon the animal, and the mineral devoureth the body of man. Physical bodies are transferred past one barrier after another, from one life to another, and all things are subject to transformation and change, save only the essence of existence itself — since it is constant and immutable, and upon it is founded the life of every species and kind, of every contingent reality throughout the whole of creation.
Whensoever thou dost examine, through a microscope, the water man drinketh, the air he doth breathe, thou wilt see that with every breath of air, man taketh in an abundance of animal life, and with every draught of water, he also swalloweth down a great variety of animals. How could it ever be possible to put a stop to this process? For all creatures are eaters and eaten, and the very fabric of life is reared upon this fact. Were it not so, the ties that interlace all created things within the universe would be unravelled. – Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 157.
I recognize that the lives and the livelihood of many millions of people depend on the hunting or domestication of animals and their use for food and clothing, so I’m not condemning it in any way. In fact, I think that’s what the great Faiths always do—leave these kinds of decisions up to the individual and the individual conscience.
David Langness writes and edits for BahaiTeachings.org and is a journalist and literary critic for Paste Magazine. He and his wife Teresa live in the Sierra foothills in Northern California.
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Hunting for food and clothing is discussed within medieval Islamic laws, emphasizing moderation. Humans, with intellect, must follow a different law to avoid destruction, maintaining ecological balance in their food search.
The Aqdas supports personal hunting for meat and rejects buying from stores that institutionalize mass killing.
The Aqdas supports personal hunting for meat and rejects buying from stores that institutionalize insane, toxic, and cruel mass killing.
If so, you might want to look at jumping stations, I believe it is covered in Selection from the Writings of Abdul'baha'. (sp) Pretty interesting read. I had an experience one time hunting where I tried to understand the station of the animal I was hunting (deer). My mind wandered many places for a couple of hours. To make a very long journey short I shoot a deer at about 6 feet. The article on jumping stations (i.e. mineral to plant, plant to animal, animal to human) was realized in ...my mind in a very real and viceral way. I had almost stopped hunting by this time. After experiencing this I have no problem hunting and utilizing the animals I kill. I try and do it with honor and painless as possible for the animals I harvest. When I say I become one with the animals I harvest, after you read this you might understand what I mean. first time I have responded to these articles. Nice experience :)
That being said, I also have no urge to coerce others who do not hunt, into becoming hunters. Like you said, it is an individual choice.
Interestingly, I did empathise with your pivitol moment, when you discovered that you could not shoot ...the deer. When I take a kid hunting, I praise and respect his decision...whether that decision is not to shoot, or to shoot. Either way, he/she's made their own decision...they've acted on their conciouse. One chooses not to shoot a beautiful living creature, the other chooses to harvest this gift from God, with thoughts of feeding his/her family. Either way, their choice is noble and I be sure to praise them for it. Either way is a powerful and meaningful "rite of passage".
It sounds like your father was a good man, and that he too supported your own right of passage choice. We need more poeple like that walking among us. :)
I don't expect to convince those who oppose hunting, nor am I trying too. The Baha'i Faith embraces diverse cultures, ideas, concepts that as a whole, enrich the tapastry we call our culture. When we try and force others to our way of thinking, the whole is less from this loss of diversity. I would no more want everyone to embrace my lifestyle than I would want to embrace a lifestyle that consists of study circles and meetings. The beauty of this religion, at least as I read and understand the writings, embraces the entire experiece of human culture. Those behaviors that harm the soul are forbiden and clearly addressed in the writings.
When we try and force an egocentric view, that we may hold dearly, on others, especially when this behavior is not forbidden in the writings, we are tearing appart the very thing that makes this religion different. We become part of the clamor that surrounds us all.
As I understand the Baha'i Faith, both views have valitady and are acceptable. "Reality is dependent upon the observer". The Baha'i Faith needs both views to survive in a very real and meaningful way. The downfall of this religion will come when we try and force others to conform to our view of reality. When we use the writings to support our own personal view of reality, especially when the view being attacked is not forbidden in the writings, we are doing the same thing that is taking place in all the other religions around us. We become noise, egocentric views being forced upon others, the insistant self.
Your comment bring to mind something I've been hearing alot about lately...mostly from the non-hunting people. The division between sport hunting and subsistence hunting.
I'd just like to point out that they are not mutually exclusive. Fish and Game uses "sport hunting" in much of the US, as a way of keeping game populations healty. Too often, in areas where there is abundant game, but few hunters, sickness, starvation, and disease devestate ...the wildlife, and the wildlife changes the ecosystem in such a manner that there is less biodiversity.
It does not matter whether these people "enjoy" the hunt, consider it "sport", or hate the hunt, but do so because they absulutuely must have the meat. All that matters is that the right number of animals is harvested to keep both the population and their habitat healthy.
I personally, like you, find hunting to reinvigerate my soul. Yes, there is just a bit of adrenalin rush in the stock and kill...this is a natural biochemical reaction, which I suspect evolved out of necessity for remaining steady during dangerous or difficult curcumstances. But the kill is such a small part of the hunt...it is a brief few minutes within a 5 to 10 day immersion in the wilderness. The entire rest of the joureny is comprised of soul stiring beauty, physical challenges, situations that force you to apply skill and knowledge, and an opportunity to bond on a level that is impossible elsewhere...It always brings me closer to my Creator...and those moments of prayer and meditation while sitting alone, with the predawn glow on the horizon, frost on the ground, and nothing for miles around but you, your thoughts, and God's creatures, are something I've never been able to experience elsewhere.
My family needs the meat. Yes, we probably could afford to go to the store and buy meat, but I care for my family such that I want only the healthiest, cleanest, and most nutritious food possible for them. The animlas I harves, clean, and carefor myself, are just that...the healthiest possible option. It's a lot of work, sometimes back breaking labor, but I enjoy making this sacrifice.
With all of this in mind, the hunting liscense I purchase each year, is called a "sport" license. I guess my point is, let's not be judgemental about sport vs. subsistance. Both are needed. Just because you enjoy the experience does not mean you are killing just for fun...enjoying it just means that you are getting more out of it than those that dont.
What is not needed is Wanton Waste. This is where I draw distinctions between hunting and killing. Wanton waste is where someone shoots and animal and leaves the animal only partially consumed, or not consumed at all...often with just the antlers, claws, or gal bladder removed. This is not sport, it is not subsistance, it is a crime against God's creation as well as state and federal law.
Because of these stentiments, I applaud you for how beautifully you areticulated your own experiences, and for the light you shed on the devisive nature of forcing our oppinions on others. There's room for all, sport, subsistance, hunters, non-hunters...all are welcome at my table. :)