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5. Chastity
God has created man to be a joyous, loving creature and has given him many ways to experience the richness of life. Sexual love between a man and woman is indeed a gift of God. Baha’ is know that such love, as all other God-given capacities, must be expressed in ways which are in harmony with the will of God and His laws. Chastity, therefore, is a requirement of Baha’i life.
To live a chaste and holy life one must not have any sexual relations before marriage and must be loyal and faithful in marriage. He must also be clean-minded, modest, and pure. Chastity can be expressed in many areas of one’s life—his dress, his language, his entertainment, his behavior toward members of the opposite sex.
Shoghi Effendi emphasizes that a “‘chaste and holy life must be made the controlling principle in the behavior and conduct of all Baha’is, both in their social relations with the members of their own community, and in their contact with the world at large.’’!3 By living a chaste and holy life one will not only become happier and healthier himself but will also attract the
attention of others and demonstrate the power of the Baha’i Faith.
