Fred Capp fred There are no specific "rules" on Baha'i dating. There are lots of rules that would tend to imply that there is no such thing as a "Baha'i date" since a "Baha'i date" would not fit anyone's definition of dating. For example A youth in the Baha'i Class I teach asked if Baha'is can date. The youth indicated that this would not be dating. I answered that if the definition of a date required any behavior outside of what I had identified, then maybe Baha'is cannot date.
Abdu'l-Baha said that Baha'is are not supposed to kiss each other except for spouses and those "preparing for marriage". The Persian practice of kissing upon meeting or departing is clearly an indication of greeting and not of "familiarity". The Baha'i Faith has few "specific rules" on many things at all, but it does have broad paintbrush subjects like Chastity.
If one Baha'i is dating another Baha'i, what are they doing -- behavior wise -- that distinguishes that event from any other social activity between people? If Abdu'l-Baha said "no" to the kiss, which in the West is how a "chaste" first date ends, then what aspects of a Western date would fall within the realm of chastity?
The reality is that in the West, dating is not preparation for marriage. It is an event in and of itself. Hope this has muddied the waters for you in a very clear manner! Cornell to the Guardian which, among other topics, quoted three lines from this Pilgrim's Note; 3 the response written on behalf of the Guardian to John B. Cornell; 4 a letter from the Universal House of Justice which quoted the Guardian's letter to Cornell.
Material shared by and posted with permission from Cornell. Boylan Walking today in the gardens by the Hudson River in the early morning, I had the privilege of being with Abdu'l-Baha, and I told Him how some people have tried to spread the untruth that the Baha'is teach "free love. Marriage must be strict and pure. You must all be very careful about this. They must not kiss each other.
