Bahá'í Faith/Spouse Selection

Signs for Selecting a Spouse for a Successful Marriage Table of Contents

 * /Introduction/
 * /Understands and Values Love, Marriage, Family Life and Children/
 * /Maturity/
 * /Attraction, Love and Unity/
 * /Character/
 * /Consultation/
 * /Chastity/
 * /Appendix Baha'i Writings/
 * /References and Resources/

Rodney H. Clarken


I began writing this piece in the fall of 2003 after meditating on what was the best service I could do for humanity. In my travels in many different countries I had encountered numerous unhappy marriages and many young people hoping to marry who did not know what to look for in a potential spouse and did not have much guidance on what it took to make a good marriage. I felt if I could help people have happier and healthier marriages, it would have positive repercussions on many lives.

Though my formal training is not in the topic I am writing on here, I have tried to use my skills in education, research and scholarship to bring some understanding to the topic. The research on finding a spouse or selecting a person with whom one would be compatible is growing, along with the business of online matching, but there is still little solid evidence to support one system over another. My approach was to synthesize and categorize the guidance from the Baha'i writings on the topic and then try to bring in what external sources might illuminate these points.

I hope this work may be an assistance to humanity and the many souls seeking a spouse for a successful marriage.