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The law of strict abstinence from party politics seems surprising in a religion which is directed so much towards altering and transforming this world. To many this attitude seems inconsistent and self-contradictory, and quite often the Baha'is are reproached with holding themselves back from the "real problems" of society and of their fellow human beings, and with passively watching the world hastening to its destruction. (31:1) Is this reproach justified? The question is: what is "reality", what is the "real world"? For someone who only accepts as reality what can be perceived, what can be actually experienced or empirically verified, or who sees the reality of society only in its socio-economic conditions, the political abstinence of the Baha'is may appear as a refusal to cooperate in the building of a humane and just world, and a refusal to eliminate the evils of this world. (31:2) The Baha'is know, however, that the visible world is only a part of reality and "that the working of the material world is merely a reflection of spiritual conditions and until the spiritual conditions can be changed there can be no lasting change for the better in material affairs" (Uhj).
(31:3)
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