Dr. Jane Faily
Jane Faily starts by saying that as the “all human institutions are in disorder”; so too is Bahá’í marriage. We live in one of the most trying times in history.
Ms. Faily then explores the traditional roles of men and women in marriage and society. In the past there was stability and harmony in marriage; that order rested on the dominance of men and the compliance of women. That has disappeared. “We are in an awkward age.” The harmony has vanished. We need to recreate the institution of marriage based on Bahá’í teachings.
In its 1983 Ridvan message the Universal House of Justice wrote, “The observable acceleration, during the past decade, of the two processes described by our beloved Guardian, the disintegration of the old order and the progress and consolidation of the new World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, may well come to be regarded by future historians as one of the most remarkable features of this period” The human heart is the “repository of the covenant of Bahá’u’lláh.” Everything in Bahá’í family life is affected by the two-fold process given by Bahá’u’lláh. Tests and tribulations open the hearts of Bahá’ís. All Bahá’í families have the example of Bahá’u’lláh’s family and how His holy children—while still youths—detached themselves from the world to serve their Lord.