Bahá'í marriage

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Bahá'í marriage is union of a man and a woman. Its purpose is mainly spiritual and is to foster harmony, fellowship and unity between the two partners. [1] The Bahá'í teachings on marriage call it a fortress for well-being and salvation and place marriage and the family as the foundation of the structure of human society. [2]

Baháí Faith Monotheistic religion founded in 1863 by Baháulláh in the Middle East; promotes the unity of mankind; sees major religions as unified in purpose; faces persecution in Iran

The Bahá'í Faith is a religion teaching the essential worth of all religions, and the unity and equality of all people. Established by Bahá'u'lláh in 1863, it initially grew in Iran and parts of the Middle East, where it has faced ongoing persecution since its inception. It is estimated to have between 5 and 8 million adherents, known as Bahá'ís, spread out into most of the world's countries and territories.

Marriage social union or legal contract between people called spouses that creates kinship

Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a socially or ritually recognised union between spouses that establishes rights and obligations between those spouses, as well as between them and any resulting biological or adopted children and affinity. The definition of marriage varies around the world not only between cultures and between religions, but also throughout the history of any given culture and religion, evolving to both expand and constrict in who and what is encompassed, but typically it is principally an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually sexual, are acknowledged or sanctioned. In some cultures, marriage is recommended or considered to be compulsory before pursuing any sexual activity. When defined broadly, marriage is considered a cultural universal. A marriage ceremony is known as a wedding.

Society group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same territory, subject to the same authority and culture

A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same geographical or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societies are characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals who share a distinctive culture and institutions; a given society may be described as the sum total of such relationships among its constituent of members. In the social sciences, a larger society often exhibits stratification or dominance patterns in subgroups.

Contents

Spiritual nature

The Bahá'í teachings on marriage see it as an eternal bond that survives past the lives of the partners in the physical life, and into the spiritual worlds. Thus the teachings stress that during courting the partners must take the utmost care to become acquainted with each other's character. Furthermore, the husband and wife should be united not only physically, but also spiritually, so that they can improve the spiritual life of each other, and that they can spiritually advance towards God. [3]

Baháí cosmology

Bahá'í cosmology is the understanding of reality in the Bahá'í Faith, and for which reality is divided into three divisions. The first division is God, who is preexistent and on whom the rest of creation is contingent. The second division is God's Logos, the Primal Will, which is the realm of God's commands and grace. This realm pervades all created things. The Manifestations of God, Messengers from God, are appearances of the Logos in the physical world. The third division is creation, which includes the physical world. Creation is not seen as confined to the material universe, and individual material objects, such as the Earth, are seen to come into being at particular moment and then subsequently break down into their constituent parts. Thus, the current universe is seen as a result of a long-lasting process, evolving to its current state. In Bahá'í belief, the whole universe is a sign of God and is dependent on him and humanity was created to know God and to serve his purpose.

Engagement

The parents cannot interfere with the selection of the person their child wants to get married to, but marriage has been conditioned, once the couple’s wish is known, upon the permission of their parents. [4] The purpose of this law is to foster unity between the two families, since the Bahá'í teachings see marriage and the family as the foundation of the structure and society, and having disunity between two families is not conducive to that. The consent of all parents is needed even if one of the partners is not a Bahá'í. [5]

Parenting or child rearing is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the intricacies of raising a child and not exclusively to the biological relationship.

Bahá'ís[ who? ] see this aspect of Bahá'í marriage as combining marriages practices from the East and West;[ citation needed ] in the East arranged marriage is common, and in the west marriages sometimes go forward with no input from the parents. The Bahá'í marriage gives full freedom of the individuals to select their partner, but places certain gratitude and respect to the parents.

"A couple should study each other's character and spend time getting to know each other before they decide to marry, and when they do marry it should be with the intention of establishing an eternal bond." [6]

Waiting period

The time between the official public announcement of the marriage and the wedding ceremony should not exceed 95 days. [7] [8] [9] The 95-day period of engagement is currently applicable only to Persian believers. [10]

Ceremony

The Bahá'í marriage ceremony is done differently in each culture. The only compulsory part of the wedding is the reading of the wedding vows prescribed by Bahá'u'lláh which both the groom and the bride recite:

Baháulláh Founder of the Baháí Faith

Bahá'u'lláh, was a Persian religious leader, prophet and the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, which advocates universal peace and unity among all races, nations, and religions.

We will all, verily, abide by the Will of God. [11]

in the presence of two witnesses to be recorded through a Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly. Legal recognition depends on the civil laws of the country.

Most Bahá'í marriage ceremonies consist of the reading of Bahá'í writings, prayers and music followed by a talk about the spiritual nature of Bahá'í marriage, and then the reading of the vows.

Laws

There are a number of laws that concern Bahá'í marriage

Children and parenting

Following the natural and appropriate extension of the union of marriage, children, whether adopted or biological, should be raised in this same spiritual atmosphere. Formal duties exist between parents and children (of education and obedience, training and respect.) Second to discovering God for oneself is respect for one's parents. Reversing the degradation of women and children is a subject of much attention in the Bahá'í Faith.

Notes

  1. ↑ The Kitáb-i-Aqdas. p. 42.
  2. ↑ The Kitáb-i-Aqdas. p. 205.
  3. ↑ Helen Hornby (ed.). Lights of Guidance. p. 369.
  4. ↑ Lights of Guidance. p. 376.
  5. ↑ The Kitáb-i-Aqdas. p. 207.
  6. ↑ The Universal House of Justice. Baha'i Marriage and Family Life. November 2, 1982, p. 20.
  7. ↑ "Bahá'u'lláh's Marriage Law" (PDF). January–February 2011. pp. 37–38.
  8. ↑ The Kitáb-i-Aqdas. p. 120.
  9. ↑ گنجينه حدود و احكام (in Persian). p. 166.
  10. ↑ National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States. "Developing Distinctive Baha'i Communities". Office of Assembly Development, Evanston, Illinois, 1998, p. 371.
  11. ↑ Bahá'u'lláh. The Kitáb-i-Aqdas: The Most Holy Book. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1873, p. 105.
  12. ↑ The Kitáb-i-Aqdas. p. 149.
  13. 1 2 3 The Kitáb-i-Aqdas. p. 150.
  14. ↑ The Kitáb-i-Aqdas. p. 209.
  15. ↑ Universal House of Justice. "Laws from the Kitab-i-Aqdas Not Yet Binding".

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References


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