Marrying someone with a different Religion, Good or Bad?

[Faith 56]

I was wondering what people thought about marrying someone who has a different Religion then you? I am a Christian and I was wondering if it would be good or bad to marry someone from a different Religion, like a Muslim? Because I have heard of people who married outside of their own religion and had a hard time because they were always fighting with their spouse about whose Religion was right. So let me know what you think   

[Jasmine23 1,600]

Bad 100% I'm a Christian as well.... how can two walk together except they agree? Amos 3:3. Our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were told not to marry outside of their camp and that was for all generations after them as well..... we are that generation. There is no way anyone can marry outside of their religion and beliefs and have a perfectly good life together because there is no balance and always disagreement even if someone converts there will always be some form of doubt unless they really give their hearts to God.

[Invincible 7,962]

As Christians, 1 Corinth. 7:39 and 2 Corinth. 6:14 makes it clear that we are only to marry another Christian. Aside from having a much deeper sense of spiritual unity with your spouse, marrying someone of the same faith makes so much sense on a practical level. Marriages in general are tough enough as it is even for the most loving and compatible relationships. In fact, in 1 Corith. 7:25-28 Paul says it's ideal for someone to not marry if they don't feel called to it because marriage will bring lots of hardships that single people don't have to deal with. So if marriages between two Christians are hard enough as they are, think how much harder it will be with someone of a different faith. At the very least, interfaith marriages have the potential to cause more strife than good. For many people, faith is the very foundation of everything they value and hold dear. I think that ought to be the most important consideration to anyone who takes their faith seriously.

 

Of course we have all heard the occasional couple of two different faiths making their marriage work through mutual respect. But from my observations, they tend to be fairly casual in their devotion. Plus I strongly believe that marriages between two different faiths do not have the potential to be as intimate as one between two people of the same faith. I respect other people's religions. But I personally want to be as united with my future wife on every level physically, emotionally and spiritually.

[Faith 56]

_{I was told by a few different people that marrying outside of your Religion was okay as long as you respected your spouses Religion. But I always wondered how that would work because no matter what you are going to disagree on something, right? that is why I asked this question, I also asked because someone told me that the scripture Amos 3:3 was just for them in their generation that it don't apply to us? and to me that didn't sound right.}

[Jasmine23 1,600]

_{I also asked because someone told me that the scripture Amos 3:3 was just for them in their generation that it don't apply to us? and to me that didn't sound right.}

It's not right. The entire bible is for the generation then and the generation now. There are chapters in the bible that actually says this Is for your generation now and in the future. Those people who say otherwise are the people Jesus Said to stay away from because they are double minded.

[Faith 56]

It's not right. The entire bible is for the generation then and the generation now. There are chapters in the bible that actually says this Is for your generation now and in the future. Those people who say otherwise are the people Jesus Said to stay away from because they are double minded.

I really need to find a different Church!! Thank You for clearing that up for me!!!

[Jasmine23 1,600]

I really need to find a different Church!! Thank You for clearing that up for me!!!

Woooooooooow your church told you that? Well I'd say regardless of what church you attend read and research for yourself so you can know what's true and what's false. You must be aware of all things and ask God for Guidance when you cannot see a clear picture.

[Faith 56]

Woooooooooow your church told you that? Well I'd say regardless of what church you attend read and research for yourself so you can know what's true and what's false. You must be aware of all things and ask God for Guidance when you cannot see a clear picture.

Yeah my Pastor said a lot of the Bible only applied to them in that generation and not us.

[Mirage 1,000]

Yeah my Pastor said a lot of the Bible only applied to them in that generation and not us.

A lot does.

[ChristianMan72 477]

Christians believe that the only way to serve God is through Jesus. "Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me." You will find that Moslems have a similar belief for their religion, and so do many others. If you believe and serve God, then, by implication, you don't believe in your spouse's beliefs, and there will never be agreement. There will be despising, no matter how well hidden.

Christians are not bound today by the rules of the OT Jewish law. But that doesn't make those teachings something to throw away, because they teach the personality of God the Father. We are still bound to follow those teachings in spirit. Though some OT scriptures may not be literal instruction for us today, no scripture applies 'only to a past generation'. And the OT laws we are bound to keep are reaffirmed in the NT.

[Jasmine23 1,600]

Yeah my Pastor said a lot of the Bible only applied to them in that generation and not us.

All of the bible pertains to today..... sex before marriage, drinking, what we watch and listen to, how we speak, etc. Lots of the old testament is repeated in the new testament.

[Jegsy Scarr 3,518]

As Christians, 1 Corinth. 7:39 and 2 Corinth. 6:14 makes it clear that we are only to marry another Christian. 

 

1 Corinthians 7:39 just says, "The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord." I don't think "only in the Lord" necessarily means "only someone with the same faith". I think it probably means "only if she thinks God is calling her to be married again", because the next verse is: "But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgement: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God." That suggests it's just talking about whether or not it's good for someone to remarry.

 

And 2 Corinthians 6:14, sure the verse says, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?"  But nowhere does the passage say that it's referring to marriage! I mean, what is a "yoke"? It's used to tie animals together, so that they're no longer able to choose to walk separately, but have to work together. That sounds more like St Paul is saying, "Don't get yourself into a situation where you're following a non-Christian instead of following Christ." It doesn't say anything about marriage. In a marriage, each spouse still has free will to choose. If they disagree, they can still say, "No, I'm not going to do that, I'm going to do what I believe is right".

 

And if the passage is saying, "Don't marry a non-Christian", then how do you explain 1 Corinthians 7:12-14 "If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy."

 

Now Vince, that's exactly the opposite of, "Don't be married to a non-Christian"! That's saying, "If you're married to a non-Christian, and things work out okay for the two of you, then that's great! Stay married! And don't worry that your kids are going to be unholy, or whatever, because that's not the case."

 

No offence, Vince, but it seems to be that this is just a case of reading one or two verses out of context, and not looking at them in relation to what the CHURCH teaches.

 

But anyway, I see your point. I agree that I don't think it's a great idea to marry someone of a different religion, because you're right: you're going to have a lot more disagreements, and it's not the best situation perhaps for raising kids. But there are always exceptions to that, where marriages can work out. The best case scenario, of course, which does sometimes happen is that the non-believing spouse will convert because of their spouse's influence, but that's not a great reason in and of itself, of course, since it can go both ways if the believer isn't secure in their faith.

 

Personally, I don't want to marry someone who isn't Catholic. I suppose there might be a reason why I'd marry a non-Catholic, but honestly, I don't really see it happening.

 

xxx

[Jada 237]

In a marriage, each spouse still has free will to

choose. If they disagree, they can still say, "No, I'm not going to do that, I'm going to do what I believe is right".

 

And if the passage is saying, "Don't marry a non-Christian", then how do you explain 1 Corinthians 7:12-14 "If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy."

 

Now Vince, that's exactly the opposite of, "Don't be married to a non-Christian"! That's saying, "If you're married to a non-Christian, and things work out okay for the two of you, then that's great! Stay married! And don't worry that your kids are going to be unholy, or whatever, because that's not the case."

 

 Love this!!!:-)

 

[Invincible 7,962]

1 Corinthians 7:39 just says, "The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord." I don't think "only in the Lord" necessarily means "only someone with the same faith". I think it probably means "only if she thinks God is calling her to be married again", because the next verse is: "But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgement: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God." That suggests it's just talking about whether or not it's good for someone to remarry.

 

Here is another translation of that verse: " A wife should stay married to her husband until he dies. Then she is free to marry again, but only to a man who is a follower of the Lord. However, I think I am obeying God’s Spirit when I say she would be happier to stay single." BTW, that is from the Contemporary English Version, which is an approved translation by the Catholic Church. So unless I'm missing something, it seems like the Church is in full agreement with my point.

 

 

And 2 Corinthians 6:14, sure the verse says, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?"  But nowhere does the passage say that it's referring to marriage! I mean, what is a "yoke"? It's used to tie animals together, so that they're no longer able to choose to walk separately, but have to work together. That sounds more like St Paul is saying, "Don't get yourself into a situation where you're following a non-Christian instead of following Christ." It doesn't say anything about marriage. In a marriage, each spouse still has free will to choose. If they disagree, they can still say, "No, I'm not going to do that, I'm going to do what I believe is right".

 

You are right when you say a yoke is a wooden beam that binds two animals together for flowing, usually two ox. In some commentaries, a yoke is a general euphemism of a partnership. Usually it refers to business partnerships but sometimes it can be used for close friends and yes, even marriage. In fact, Genesis 2 says: "Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” We all know that Eve was married to Adam. What other earthly partnership is more important than marriage?

 

And if the passage is saying, "Don't marry a non-Christian", then how do you explain 1 Corinthians 7:12-14 "If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy."

 

Now Vince, that's exactly the opposite of, "Don't be married to a non-Christian"! That's saying, "If you're married to a non-Christian, and things work out okay for the two of you, then that's great! Stay married! And don't worry that your kids are going to be unholy, or whatever, because that's not the case."

 

Jegs, you know as well as I do that many people convert to the faith after one has married. But that doesn't mean their spouse will. Sometimes people marry outside the faith and don't see the consequences until later. That is what Paul is addressing. It doesn't contradict the command to marry a Christian in the first place. But rather Paul is instructing what to do in case one marries or is already married to a non-believer. But yes I agree that he is saying that it's best to stay married in those cases. If you read further in verse 15, it says, "Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace." This is yet again highlighting the hardship of disunity between a believer and a non-believer in marriage. Sometimes the lack of spiritual agreement will cause one to walk out, which is another reason to marry another believer.

 

No offence, Vince, but it seems to be that this is just a case of reading one or two verses out of context, and not looking at them in relation to what the CHURCH teaches.

 

What can I say? I can't understand LLAAATTTIIIINNNNN!!!!

[Guest Fear the King the Khan]

I'd even marry with an atheïst, as long as she is faithful to me and waiting till marriage.

 

Love is not called love if religion comes in between.

[Jasmine23 1,600]

I'd even marry with an atheïst, as long as she is faithful to me and waiting till marriage.

Love is not called love if religion comes in between.

I understand where you are coming from but how can an atheist love anyone even themselves if they hate the very one that created us? It's impossible physically and spiritually. You can "show" love and "say" you love someone but you cannot really love or even show it if you don't have the love that our creators shows and gives us. I am acquainted with a few atheist and one is engaged another is married to a JEWISH woman and the other hops from relationship to relationship and each one of them are having the same issue..... they "love" or "like" the ones that they are with but religious beliefs always get in the way. How can two walk together except they be in agreement. A marriage between two people with different beliefs rather religious or anything else will not work unless both people are REALLY good at faking it. And I believe like so many others if you cannot love your creator, you cannot love the person you believe was or is created for you.

[Mstr Josh 2,608]

Your entire statement is just extremely ignorant. Athiests don't hate a "creator". Not believing and hate are two very different things.

And how can an Athiest not love themselves by not believing what, to them, is a fairy tale?

[Matthew 2,545]

I understand where you are coming from but how can an atheist love anyone even themselves if they hate the very one that created us? It's impossible physically and spiritually. You can "show" love and "say" you love someone but you cannot really love or even show it if you don't have the love that our creators shows and gives us. I am acquainted with a few atheist and one is engaged another is married to a JEWISH woman and the other hops from relationship to relationship and each one of them are having the same issue..... they "love" or "like" the ones that they are with but religious beliefs always get in the way. How can two walk together except they be in agreement. A marriage between two people with different beliefs rather religious or anything else will not work unless both people are REALLY good at faking it. And I believe like so many others if you cannot love your creator, you cannot love the person you believe was or is created for you.

 

As someone that grew up in the Independent Baptist faith in a religious family, I understand why you have that point of view. However, I think it's a ridiculous point of view, and I hope you can be open to the possibility that you're wrong. What evidence do you have, apart from being "acquainted" with a few atheists who, from your limited perspective, don't seem to be able to truly love someone, do you have to back up such a strong claim? I agree that relationships are difficult when the couple don't have the same religious beliefs, but to say that that is because they can't really love each other is quite a jump to conclusions. Further, to say that the reason they can't really love each other is because one or both don't believe in the same God you believe in is an even greater jump. I'm pretty much agnostic now. I don't feel any love for the creator I don't know exists. I do, however, know what love feels like. I feel it for my family, and I would even say that at times I feel it for the woman that I hope exists and that I will marry someday. I assume you think I'm deluded, that I'm spiritually blind and only think I feel love. Well, you're free to think that but I hope you'll consider that you could be mistaken.

[Jasmine23 1,600]

Well we all have our views. We state our opinions. We agree or disagree. I said I am acquainted with these people it doesn't mean I don't see them all the time. I've known these people for a very long time i just don't call ANYONE friend so I know what I'm talking about. Your not here to see the proof so you can't say I'm mistaken about anything unless you are here to see it. I've also been talking to the married couple and they have been using "The Love Dare" which is a Christian book on relationships and I see a lot of change.

[Guest Fear the King the Khan]

Well Jazz i can only answer with this. Atheism is a term for people who simply dont believe in the existence of a God. Someone who hates God, though, believes in his existence yet rejects him. These people are dangerous. They are hypocrytes. And i dont think im ever going to take any step into marriage with people like that.

[Faith 56]

Well to me it sounds like it is just a really bad idea to marry someone who does not have the same values. I think it would cause way too much problems even if it was okay to marry someone with a different religion.

[Guest Fear the King the Khan]

Indeed, faith, I cannot argue with that. But I won't have any problem marrying with a Christian.

 

The only problem for me is the consumption of pork and if my wife wants my children to go to the church.

 

But hey, there is ALWAYS a solution! Instead of eating pork we can eat plenty of other meats, and if she wants our children to go to the church, well, she can go to the mosque and the church, cause we have both mutual aspects in our beliefs, and with this they will fulfill their role regarding their faith.

So instead of saying, NO SHES GONNA BE A CHRISTIAN or HES GONNA BE A JEW, why not BOTH? It is possible! After all, the core of our beliefs are the same, what differs are small details and the prophets.

[Guest]

I want a woman who will instill Christian values in our children and one who will expect the same of me. I definitely won't be dating or marrying outside of Christianity.

[Faith 56]

The different views and little details would not bother me, the only thing I would be worried about is having the disagreements about stuff because all it takes is to get mad at each other about something and then someone is going to get offended. I am just going to avoid it all and hopefully find a guy with the same Christian values as me to help me be stronger in my Christianity. I also think it would be hard for kids to adjust with two different Religions, and besides I want to have kids who are strong Christians because life is only going to get harder for them they need to be sure of their religion and not have to always wonder which Religion they want to have.

[Guest Fear the King the Khan]

I respect and understand what you are saying. If that is priority, go for it.

 

If your priority is love before religion, then you shouldn't worry about it too much.

 

Noone can force you for what you decide first.