Baha'i Faith and Families

DOI: 10.1002/9781119085621.wbefs295

The Baha'i Faith community is a global religious community, with Baha'is residing in 116,000 different localities in 188 countries and 45 dependent territories. The faith is reported in the Encyclopaedia Britannica as the second most globally widespread independent religion in the world. Members of Baha'i families share a commitment to the equality of men and women, preservation of the institution of marriage as a physical and spiritual union of a man and a woman, and the spiritual and moral education of all children. Parental consent is needed before marriage but this is not the same as arranged marriage. Consultation in all matters is regarded as the highest form of communication, children are to respect their parents, and abuse of any form is expressly condemned. Divorce is allowed but strongly discouraged, and a year of waiting is required before divorce becomes final.