Resources from the Bahá’í Writings and from
Marriage Transformation to Help You!

"...[T]he provision of guidance on administrative matters such as the laws of engagement, marriage, and divorce falls under the purview of Local and National Spiritual Assemblies...."
(On behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual, September 24, 2014)

	“Let this gathering be a foreshadowing of what will, in very truth, take place in this world, when every child of God realizes that they are leaves of one tree, flowers in one garden, drops in one ocean, and sons and daughters of one Father, whose name is love!” ~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 30

The links below will go to supplemental resource pages, to Adobe pdf files that you may save to your computer or print, or to helpful websites. Please contribute or suggest additional resources via email to Marriage Transformation, staff@marriagetransformation.com.

Quotations and Resources

Marriage, Marriage Preparation, and Divorce:

• About the Bahá’í Marriage Laws
• Preserving Bahá’í Marriages
• Prayers and Readings for the 19-Day Feast
• General Difficulties and Making Decisions
• Divorce

Marriage Transformation Documents That Contain Quotations:

• Discussion Guide for Parents on Dating, Courting, Character, Chastity, and Consent
• When You Have a Spouse Who Is Not a Bahá’í
• Applying Principles from the Universal House of Justice's Plans
• Quotations from Marriage Can Be Forever--Preparation Counts! (English and Spanish)

Parental Consent

• Guidance from the Bahá’í Writings
• Resources consent from parents for marrying

Challenged Marriages/Marriages in Difficulty

• Consultation and Counseling
• Handling Tests and Difficulties
• Reconciliation, Separation, Year-of-Waiting, and Divorce
• Resource websites

The Death of a Loved One; Help for the Grieving

• Quotations and Prayers
• Stories
• Support Handouts for Individuals and Groups

Online Courses

Online Learning courses about relationships, marriage, parenting, and more that are practical and Baha'i-Faith based are ongoing through the Wilmette Institute, an agency of the United States National Spiritual Assembly. People of all faiths are welcome. There is an excellent faculty, mentoring, and scholarships available. Please come join us today! Information is available at this link: http://wilmetteinstitute.org/ourcourses/marriage and this one: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/department/relationships-marriage-and-family/  

Articles and Research Reports

Some Perspectives from Marriage Transformation:

Relationship, Marriage, and Family Education in the Bahá’í Faith Community Potential Ideas to Consider from Marriage Transformation® Version: December 6, 2020

Helpful articles with advice about relationships and marriage can be found on these websites:

Bahaiteachings.org/author/susanne-m-alexander
http://bahaiteachings.org/author/kelly-monjazeb-and-susanne-alexander

http://bahaiblog.net/site/author/susanne-alexander/

https://marriagetransformation.com/in-media/

 

Bahá’í-Related Research:

2008: "Understanding Single Bahá’ís: A Look at the Current State of North American Single Bahá’ís Based on a Large Online Survey" Online link. PDF file.

2013: PhD Dissertation by Nura Mowzoon on Engaged Young Adult Bahá’ís

General Research:

http://camarriage.com/research/index.ashx?nv=8

http://www.smartmarriages.com/marriage.reports.html

http://nationalmarriageproject.org/

http://www.healthymarriageinfo.org/research-and-policy/index.aspx

Sacrifice as a Predictor of Marital Outcomes (pdf)

Useful Websites and Other Materials

• Marriage Transformation: www.marriagetransformation.com (includes books on a wide range of relationship and marriage topics, coaching services, and online courses)
• Intercultural/Interracial Marriage:    Books: Intercultural Marriage: Promises and Pitfalls by Dugan Romano; In Love But World Apart--Insights, Questions and Tips for the Intercultural Couple, by Grete Shelling; Mixed Matches by Joel Crohn; All-in-One Marriage Prep by Susanne M. Alexander
• National Healthy Marriage Resource Center: www.healthymarriageinfo.org
• Bahá’í Bookstore (US), www.bahaibookstore.com
  Baha'i Bookstore (Australia), https://bahaibooks.com.au/ 
• Resources on Abuse and Violence and many other topics (Susan Gammage)
  
• Tahirih Justice Center (assistance for immigrant women and girls dealing with gender-based violence)
• Tom Price talks about the character and example of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
• Finding a Partner (Bahá’í-inspired service): www.twodoves.net

Rearing Children to Honor Marriage

Some Perspectives from Marriage Transformation: Parents wishing to rear children to respect marriage and family and have a strong Bahá’í identity may create customized children's books using materials on this webpage:www.bahaimarriage.net/resources_children.htm.

Counselors and Coaches Who Are Bahá’ís

Marriage Transformation maintains a list of counselors, therapists, social workers, coaches, and more who are members of the Bahá’í Faith for referral and collaborating purposes.

Please note that often the professional will need to work with individuals or couples over the internet or phone and not in-person. Referrals are not recommendations; each person will need to do their own screening to see if the professional is a fit for them.

Professional Referral List (pdf document; version December 9, 2021); [Please do not circulate this list. Instead, please refer people to the most up-to-date version at this link: http://bahaimarriage.net/resources.htm.]

If you are a professional willing to be included on the referral list or need to provide updated information about you or your credentials, please email Susanne M. Alexander at susanne@marriagetransformation.com.

Information on the the Bahá’í Faith

Access: www.bahai.org. There are links on this site to websites for individual countries.