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Robyn Lebron It is also of great importance that the parents themselves set the example for the conduct, morals and values that they are teaching the children, for children learn by example as much as or even more than through words If the parents want their children to be truthful, then they must be truthful; if they want their children to be free of racism, then they must also be untainted by it; if they want their children to learn the equality of women and men, then the husband and wife must show that quality in their dealings with each other.18 Divorce is allowed but strongly discouraged Before a divorce can be granted, the couple is required to spend at least a year apart—“year of patience”—while they attempt to reconcile Death and Afterlife Death is regarded by Bahá’ís as a stage in one’s eternal life It is the point that marks one’s passage to the next world The body that has been the temple within which the human soul has resided should be treated with respect and the funeral ceremonies carried out with dignity and honour Cremation is forbidden.19 According to Bahá’í teachings, we are all spiritual beings Although human beings exist on earth in physical bodies, the essential identity of each person is defined by an invisible, rational, and everlasting soul The soul lives on after the body’s death, embarking on a spiritual journey towards God through many worlds or planes of existence, where its spiritual development in the physical world becomes a basis for judgment and advancement in the spiritual world.20 Heaven and hell are believed to be spiritual states of nearness or distance from God that describe our continued relationships in this world and the next If the soul fails to develop, one remains distant from God This condition of remoteness from God can in some sense be understood as a ‘hell.’ Thus, heaven and hell are regarded not as literal places but descriptions of one’s spiritual progress toward the light of God.21 They acknowledge that the exact nature of the afterlife remains a mystery 50