shathaway
04-07-2007, 08:12 PM
Reprint from: www.bahai.org
Marriage and Family Life
Bahá'ís understand that the family is the basic unit of society. Unless this all-important building block is healthy and unified, society itself cannot be healthy and unified. Monogamous marriage stands at the foundation of family life.
Bahá'u'lláh said marriage is "a fortress for well-being and salvation." The Bahá'í writings further state that married couples should strive to become "loving companions and comrades and at one with each other for time and eternity..."
Bahá'ís view preparation for marriage as an essential element in ensuring a happy marriage. The process of preparation includes a requirement for parental approval of the choice of a spouse. This does not mean that Bahá'í marriages are arranged. Individuals propose marriage to the persons of their own choice. However, once the choice is made, the parents have both the right and the obligation to weigh carefully whether to give consent to, and thus guide, their offspring in one of life's most important decisions.
Bahá'ís believe that this requirement helps to preserve unity within the marriage--and within the extended family. As did previous Messengers of God, Bahá'u'lláh asks His followers to honor their parents. Obtaining parental permission for marriage reaffirms the importance of the bond between child and parent. It also helps to create a supportive network of parents in the often difficult first years of a marriage.
In His Service,
Steven J. Hathaway
Marriage and Family Life
Bahá'ís understand that the family is the basic unit of society. Unless this all-important building block is healthy and unified, society itself cannot be healthy and unified. Monogamous marriage stands at the foundation of family life.
Bahá'u'lláh said marriage is "a fortress for well-being and salvation." The Bahá'í writings further state that married couples should strive to become "loving companions and comrades and at one with each other for time and eternity..."
Bahá'ís view preparation for marriage as an essential element in ensuring a happy marriage. The process of preparation includes a requirement for parental approval of the choice of a spouse. This does not mean that Bahá'í marriages are arranged. Individuals propose marriage to the persons of their own choice. However, once the choice is made, the parents have both the right and the obligation to weigh carefully whether to give consent to, and thus guide, their offspring in one of life's most important decisions.
Bahá'ís believe that this requirement helps to preserve unity within the marriage--and within the extended family. As did previous Messengers of God, Bahá'u'lláh asks His followers to honor their parents. Obtaining parental permission for marriage reaffirms the importance of the bond between child and parent. It also helps to create a supportive network of parents in the often difficult first years of a marriage.
In His Service,
Steven J. Hathaway