14 February 1984
Dear Bahá'í Friend,
The Universal House of Justice has received your letter of 31 January 1984 and has directed us to send you the following comments on its behalf.
Concerning your question as to whether Bahá'ís may join the police force of a country where this force bears arms, there is in general no objection to Bahá'ís volunteering to serve in the police force. However, police forces vary considerably from country to country, and according to local situations, and conditions can change from time to time. Therefore the House of Justice feels that under current world conditions no hard and fast rules can be laid down, and if the friends have a strong desire to participate in law enforcement they should in such matters come to their own conclusions.
With reference to your question about Bahá'í marriage, there is nothing in the Writings to indicate or imply that Bahá'í marriage is open only to those who are physically able to have children. The bearing of children is but one of the purposes of marriage, albeit the primary one.
The consummation of marriage by a couple is an intimate and private matter outside the scrutiny of others. While consummation normally implies a sexual relationship, the Bahá'í law requiring consummation to take place within twenty-four hours of the wedding ceremony can be considered fulfilled if the couple has commenced cohabitation with the intention of establishing the family relationship.
As for a Bahá'í wishing to marry an atheist who states that the Bahá'í marriage vow will compromise his convictions, in order to be married, a Bahá'í must have the Bahá'í marriage ceremony. If, for any reason, the person the Bahá'í wishes to marry refuses to have the Bahá'í marriage ceremony, then the Bahá'í cannot marry that person.
With loving Bahá'í greetings,
Department of the Secretariat