Bahá'í Websites

Universal House of Justice

...all three protagonists of the Plan - the individual, the community, and the institutions - are on a path of learning how the Internet can be used most effectively to further the advancement of the Cause. (From a letter dated 15 December 2020 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)

The Internet makes it possible for Bahá'í and Bahá'í-inspired content to become accessible to a wide audience. In this connection, the House of Justice has encouraged the strengthening of the official Bahá'í presence on the World Wide Web, and it has been pleased to see the many advances made, especially in recent years, and looks forward to the further unfoldment of this process. Beyond that, many believers around the world, each according to his or her circumstances and in coherence with other endeavours of the community, use the Internet as a medium for promoting Bahá'u'lláh's vision of a new World Order, and it is natural for the friends to explore different ways to do so. However, given that the Internet allows for the instantaneous dissemination of content among growing multitudes, wisdom and self-discipline are required lest the significance or dignity of the Teachings become compromised by an unbecoming, inaccurate, or trivialized presentation. A related consideration is that the institutions of the Faith are charged with the responsibility for creating and maintaining official sources of information about the Faith, such as national and international websites, regularly assessing the presentation of the Faith on the World Wide Web and providing the necessary guidance to individuals. The friends are generally free to determine what aspects of the Teachings they wish to touch upon in their contributions but in doing so should clearly distinguish their sites from those created by the institutions.

Notwithstanding that a site may, of course, be accessed from any part of the world, a Bahá'í who seeks to establish a personal site should determine what would be an appropriate audience to address and the scope of subjects to be covered. For example, while it may be beneficial to reflect on the nature and form of the core activities, especially in the context of the experience of a cluster or region, certain problems arise in attempting to create a site that aims to speak to Bahá'ís worldwide about the subject. Such an approach could lead to the cultural norms and values of a particular population being promoted to a universal audience - a pattern all too prevalent in the world today. There is also the danger of exerting an unintended influence on the process of learning unfolding at the grassroots, where individuals, communities, and institutions are acting as protagonists of their own growth and development. The perspectives offered in the following extract from the message dated 12 December 2011 from the House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies - although in the specific context of artistic endeavours and supplementary educational materials - are especially relevant to aspects of culture mentioned above (From a letter dated 9 October 2015 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly)

The central question, given the nature of the Bahá'í Administrative Order and of the Bahá'í world community, is the proper scope for an individual initiative that aims to promote the Faith through use of the Internet and particularly social media. No individual initiative should appear to be an official organ of the Faith, nor should it assume responsibility for matters or activities that should be undertaken by Bahá'í institutions. Further, such an individual initiative should not presume to speak from an international perspective; rather, it should determine, through consultation with its National Assembly, whether its outreach will be national, regional, cluster-wide or local in scope. This is to ensure that Bahá'í institutions in other countries, as well as other individuals inside and outside the country, maintain their prerogative to give expression to the Bahá'í teachings in a manner appropriate to diverse cultures and peoples... (From a letter dated 4 April 2018 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly)

It would not be appropriate for an individual initiative that aims to promote the Faith through use of the Internet and particularly social media to direct its conceptual focus and content toward an audience beyond its own national community. In view of the nature of the Internet, individuals from around the world could, of course, access the site, and there would be no objection to their doing so. (From a letter dated 24 July 2018 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly)