Bahá'u'lláh calls backbiting the most great sin, says it quencheth the light of the heart and extinguisheth the life of the soul, and forbids not only speaking ill of an absent person but seeking out their faults, repeating what is heard, and dwelling on shortcomings even inwardly. 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi both wrote extensively on it. Its institutional consequences are visible and unusual: Spiritual Assembly deliberations are confidential; the rules of consultation require that a view offered belongs to the group rather than its proposer, so that it cannot be attributed afterwards; complaints about individuals are directed to the institutions rather than discussed among members; and the election rules against discussing names before a ballot are partly grounded here. Critics of the faith, including former members, have argued that the prohibition functions to suppress legitimate criticism of the institutions, and this is a live argument in Bahá'í studies. The community's answer distinguishes criticism of policy, which is permitted through consultation, from criticism of persons, which is not.