Suffer not yourselves to be wrapt in the dense veils of your selfish desires, inasmuch as I have perfected in every one of you My creation, so that the excellence of My handiwork may be fully revealed unto men. It follows, therefore, that every man hath been, and will continue to be, able of himself to appreciate the Beauty of God, the Glorified. Had he not been endowed with such a capacity, how could he be called to account for his failure? If, in the Day when all the peoples of the earth will be gathered together, any man should, whilst standing in the presence of God, be asked: "Wherefore hast thou disbelieved in My Beauty and turned away from My Self," and if such a man should reply and say: "Inasmuch as all men have erred, and none hath been found willing to turn his face to the Truth, I, too, following their example, have grievously failed to recognize the Beauty of the Eternal," such a plea will, assuredly, be rejected. For the faith of no man can be conditioned by any one except himself. (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, 143)
Individuals are responsible for their own spiritual development. Each has the faculty and responsibility to willingly turn to God. This is an essential aspect of our nature and applies to the members of all religions. However, it applies to a further degree in the context of the current world. Social evolution has reached a level that requires the individual to consciously develop his own understanding of the scriptures. Baha'u'llah provides access for the individual to see what Moses saw on the mountain - the Glory of God. He has released this heightened spiritual capacity through the individual's independent investigation of truth and harnessed it to the processes of consultation. For the Baha'i dispensation, it is an integral aspect of the governance structures of the Faith.
Reason is given prominence in this dispensation. Submission to the will of God, sincerity and purity of motive are still essential in the approach to God. However, greater latitude is given to us in questioning God. The processes of search are an essential and integral aspect of this dispensation. Since there are no clergy in the Baha'i Faith and elected governing institutions have been established by Baha'u'llah for the administration of the affairs of the Baha'i Faith, the institutions function primarily using consensus formed through consultation. The independent investigation of truth with respect to the progressive development of a relationship with God, an understanding of the scripture, and making decisions is required for participating in the administration of the affairs of Baha'i community life.
Know ye that God has created in man the power of reason, whereby man is enabled to investigate realty. God has not intended man to imitate blindly his fathers and ancestors. He has endowed him with mind, or the faculty of reasoning, by the exercise of which he is to investigate and discover the truth, and that which he finds real and true he must accept. He must not be an imitator or blind follower of any soul. He must not rely implicitly upon the opinion of any man without investigation; nay, each soul must seek intelligently and independently, arriving at a real conclusion and bound only by that reality. The greatest cause of bereavement and disheartening in the world of humanity is ignorance based upon blind imitation. It is due to this that wars and battles prevail; from this cause hatred and animosity arise continually among mankind….
God has given man the eye of investigation by which he may see and recognize truth. He has endowed man with ears that he may hear the message of reality and conferred upon him the gift of reason by which he may discover things for himself. This is his endowment and equipment for the investigation of reality. Man is not intended to see through the eyes of another, hear through another's ears nor comprehend with another's brain. Each human creature has individual endowment, power, and responsibility in the creative plan of God. Therefore depend upon your own reason and judgment and adhere to the outcome of your own investigation; otherwise, you will be utterly submerged in the sea of ignorance and deprived of all the bounties of God. Turn to God, supplicate humbly at His threshold, seeking assistance and confirmation, that God may rend asunder the veils that obscure your vision. Then will your eyes be filled with illumination, face to face you will behold the reality of God and your heart become completely purified from the dross of ignorance, reflecting the glories and bounties of the Kingdom. (Promulgation of Universal Peace, 291-293)
The integration of the will of God into the fabric of the institutions of the Baha'i Faith proceeds through the instruments of both reason and faith. Justice is established in the context of Baha'i community through individuals submitting to the will of God in an active process of investigation, consultation, and decision making. The administrative structures that Baha'u'llah has provided harness both reason and faith for decisions and action. Consensus is the preferred mechanism for decisions but voting is used on the occasions it cannot be reached.
The best solutions often develop from the "clash of differing opinions" (Selections from the Writings of Abdul'Baha, 87). At the heart of Baha'i consultative processes is the willingness to find the truth in an opposing argument, particularly in the heat of discussion between individuals who hold painfully different views. The power that converts conflict into creative solutions is trust in God. A willingness to submit to the will of God, particularly under conflict, provides the flexibility for creative solutions. The Baha'i administrative order fulfills the Old Testament promise that "the government shall be upon His shoulders" (Isaiah 9.6) and the New Testament promise that "the meek shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). Individuals articulate the will of God into the fabric of community through their willingness in consultation to relinquish ownership of a position in favor of the love of God and service to the community.