Interfaith Marriage

Interesting topic and question. Curious to hear if any Chewers actually have done either.

Well, I was brought up in a completely non-religious household. Some days I'm atheist, some days I feel more agnostic.

My wife is a lapsed catholic. Her mom was going to be a nun until my wife's atheist dad came and corrupted her mom. When my wife was little, she went to Catholic services with her mom and sister, but stopped going around adolescence.

It works, though I think she finds my lack of belief in anything supernatural or superstitious a little frustrating. By the same token, I'm mystified at some of her superstitions. But then some of those can also be attributed to her cultural background, as she's chinese.

Add to that that I'm as white as can be and you have quite an interesting mix, I think. We never fight about it, and we're both in agreement that we'll let our future kids find their own paths.

No, but this Orthodox Jewish girl shut me down by saying "I don't date Catholics." Does that count?

That's funny because I'm Jewish (though non-practicing) and and a Catholic girl shut me down.

This is really funny because I once asked a guy out and after three dates he announces that he has to "marry" a Jewish girl. I'm like..slow down pal...it's only dinner. LOL

I married a Mary-worshiper.

I've been attending services at her church for a little while now, and will probably end up converting. Our kids were baptized as Catholics and will attend Catholic schools. Quite a leap for a guy who was brought up in Southern Baptist churches til I was 13, eh?

There were a few bumps in the road here and there, but fairly smooth overall.

It's okay when both persons are from different christian dogmas. Orthodox, catholic or protestant, in the end the similarities are more than the differencies.

I'm pretty sure you land in a heap of troubles when you marry someone from a completely different faith and have kids. 99% of the population, no matter how secular, will be uneasy with the idea of their kids being in a different religion than they are. It's the way we are brought up and learned to view the world.

That's why, in a perfect world, people would be baptised/initiated/allowed to witness the might of Great Cthulhu only once they reached adulthood and could decide for themselves what religion they believe in.

I was born and raised Catholic, escaped that. I then went to a Baptist school for two years, escaped that. Decided religion of ANY kind is not my bag.

My wife is and always will be Lutheran and a fairly devout one.

We have an understanding, and it hasn't hurt our relationship one iota.

My wife and I come from similar religious backgrounds though radically different approaches. I think that as long as you are willing to compromise and communicate then it can actually make your marriage stronger in some ways. For those of you that do have a spouse with different religious beliefs, how do you/will you raise your kids?

Your lucky. Many times do these kind of relationships end in heartbreak and disaster. Good to know you kids have an understanding though. Blessings on you and your wife

I'm reminded of that Seinfeld episode where Elaine finds out Putty is religious, and gets offended that he hasn't tried to "save" her--that it doesn't bother him she'll be burning in hell while he goes to heaven. It seems to me that if one partner is an atheist, and the other is religous, it's got to be a problem. Or if one is Jewish and the other is Christian, or one Catholic and the other Southern Baptist, for example, since each side probably believes the other is wrong about the whole thing. Unless Baptists have become much more open minded since I ran screaming from their fold.

And in answer to the question, I am an atheist, as you all know, and my wife is agnostic with Presbyterian leanings.

Also, if you convert just because your partner is one faith, does that mean your faith is more malleable and perhaps less sincere?

Not a jab, an honest question. It just seems that if religious conviction is truly held, it'd be hard to chuck it, even for love.

Further, would that kind of conversion hold water with the Maker? (That is, of course, if he/she/it existed...)

Curious: Would your family have a problem with marriage...or hers? Or are both families not devout and would therefore have no problem?

I actually have a lot of odd experiences with this. I was originally baptised Lutheran many moons ago, converted to Mormonism for awhile, and then attended services for a long time at a Catholic church, among other places. When I got married for the first time (big mistake, but an education), I married a Lutheran girl and my lack of religion got in the way from time to time - seriously.

After I got divorced, I dated a girl raised Catholic who is now Baptist and far more religious than anyone I've dated in a long time, but we didn't have any problems really (except that she hated when I got drunk and toasted everyone with "HAIL SATAN!!!" - seriously, I do it as a joke, but it genuinely offended her. Little things, ya know?).

My current girlfriend is Jewish and I was afraid it would get in the way, particularly because I really like this person a great deal. We've talked it out a bit and I don't think it's going to be a problem as she's fairly non-practicing (and considers herself an atheist, which is where I feel most at home). There are some odd differences and I'm sure there will be more as time goes on particularly if we actually last and I hang with her familia, but so far, we're doing fine.

Of course the difference between Catholic and Jewish isn't as immense as Christian and Wiccan or Buddhist and Muslim so you got that going for you.

Though still not easy I am sure.

Did you see Fiddler On The Roof Chris? Orthodox Jews indeed have a problem with out-of-faith marriage.

That's Orthodox.

I almost married out of my "religion" however, now my parents are peeing at the fact that the boy is Polish Catholic. (Half a race and All the religion of me!)

And ALL the sexy, eh?

I'm seriously hoping that they don't pee over the sexy.

Eww...

YOU took it there.
YOU get to deal with the ick factor.

Well yes there is that part of it too. But that is less likely now. Though I don't begrudge those who believe you shouldn't because it is a lot easier for people if they marry within their faith.

I was born into a Catholic home, then became a Seventh-Day Adventist by choice.

My girlfriend was/is an atheist. We made an agreement regarding religion. I don't speak to her about it with the exception if she were to ask a ? regarding the bible. As of lately, she has been asking tons of ?s.