Universal House of Fear

Baha'u'llah, founder of the Baha'i Faith in 1863, stated "The essence of all that We have revealed for thee is Justice" and designed a "new world order" including a world-wide system of elected, nine-member bodies at the local, national and international levels, with the top-most body named The Universal House of Justice (UHJ), first elected a century later in 1963. Many assumed that Baha'u'llah and his UHJ crowning a developing Baha'i Administration may eventually fulfill various messianic prophesies such as "the Kingdom of God" on earth, that the meek shall inherit the earth and the like. However, in subsequent decades, most notably in the 1980s, a growing number of Baha'is began to perceive that various corrupt practices were permeating the Baha'i Administration on all levels. This article explores the idea that the UHJ may be degenerating into a weak Universal House of Fear at a time when the Baha'i community needs strong leadership.