The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2571 page)

Universal House of Justice
(
Baytu’l-adl-ia‘
am
)
.

The Supreme ruling body of the
Bah
’
Faith
. Formulated in the writings of
Bah
’u’ll
h
and his successors, the House of Justice was first elected in 1963 by ballot vote by the members of all national Bah
’
Assemblies. At present, the House of Justice is re-elected every five years and comprises nine members. Bah
’
s regard its judgements as divinely guided and authoritative.

 
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Judaism
The claim, in contrast to particularism, that a religion is true for all humanity. Judaism is universalistic in that it recognizes the absolute sovereignty of God and that
messianic redemption
is for all humankind. It is particularist in that it perpetuates the survival of the Jewish people as a separate entity.
Christianity
The doctrine that all beings will in the end be saved. It starts from the conviction that a loving God cannot impose eternal punishment (in
hell
), and that eternal bliss cannot be complete while any are excluded. A separate movement/denomination had begun in the 18th cent. (especially in N. America), receiving impetus from Hosea Ballou,
Treatise of the Atonement
(1805). It merged in 1961 with the
Unitarians
, to become the Unitarian Universalist Association.

 
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