Inter-faith Relationships

[pete_29]

I am Catholic. My wife belongs to the Community of Christ (formerly RLDS) church. Next April we will be married 20 years. Our oldest daughter goes to my wifes church. Our youngest daughter goes with me to our Catholic church. I love my wife. My wife loves me. We love our children. I guess God has given us the grace to overcome the obstacles.

 

[wifeandmomoftwo]

I am Catholic. My wife belongs to the Community of Christ (formerly RLDS) church. Next April we will be married 20 years. Our oldest daughter goes to my wifes church. Our youngest daughter goes with me to our Catholic church. I love my wife. My wife loves me. We love our children. I guess God has given us the grace to overcome the obstacles.

Did you get married in the Catholic church?
why aren’t both kids going to the Catholic Church and members of it?

 

[pete_29]

Did you get married in the Catholic church?
why aren’t both kids going to the Catholic Church and members of it?

Yes, and it just worked out that way.

 

[wifeandmomoftwo]

Yes, and it just worked out that way.

You have an obligation to raise your kids in the Church…was that not mentioned to you or your wife before you got married?
*Can. 1125 The local ordinary can grant a permission of this kind if there is a just and reasonable cause. He is not to grant it unless the following conditions have been fulfilled:

1/ the Catholic party is to declare that he or she is prepared to remove dangers of defecting from the faith and is to make a sincere promise to do all in his or her power so that all offspring are baptized and brought up in the Catholic Church;*

 

[1ke]

So, to you, the testamony of not one, but several people on here, that they or their spouse have converted to the Catholic faith, who may not otherwise have been exposed to the Catholic faith, is not enough to persuade you???

No.

Saving of souls is not a good enough reason?

We are all called to evangelization and the mission of the Church in saving souls by virtue of our baptism.

That call is distinct from the vocation of marriage and should not be confused with it.

I know there can be problems. But I also don’t think that a blanket “Break up, don’t get married” is the right answer either.

Advising against mixed marriages is what I feel is the **best **advice, so when asked that is the advice I will give.

 

[Feanaro_s_Wife]

** If the Catholic faith was central to a person’s life then they would not put their earthly loves above love for God:shrug: Having a spouse and/or child of a different faith would be a source of pain and heartache…

Malia**

 

[Feanaro_s_Wife]

Advising against mixed marriages is what I feel is the **best **advice, so when asked that is the advice I will give.

**
As someone who was also lead to the Catholic faith by my husband I have to completely AGREE with you 1ke. I would never advise someone to do what we did and it was only by the grace of God that we are where we are today. It could have turned out so differently. And now that we have a daughter I shudder to think of how things could have been.

If I had not be lead into the Church by my husband I trust that God would have found a different way. It would have been up to me to take it (or even see it) though. He chose to use our mistakes to bring about good. And I thank Him constantly. But we could just as easily been living out the consequences of our poor judgment.

malia
**

 

[pete_29]

You have an obligation to raise your kids in the Church…was that not mentioned to you or your wife before you got married?
*Can. 1125 The local ordinary can grant a permission of this kind if there is a just and reasonable cause. He is not to grant it unless the following conditions have been fulfilled:

1/ the Catholic party is to declare that he or she is prepared to remove dangers of defecting from the faith and is to make a sincere promise to do all in his or her power so that all offspring are baptized and brought up in the Catholic Church*;

Nope I can’t say that it was.

I have to leave now and will look for your response

 

[wifeandmomoftwo]

Nope I can’t say that it was.

I have to leave now and will look for your response

What response are you waiting for?
Other than how sad.
This is one of the reasons that I really think inter-faith marriages should not be allowed. How does it feel to know that one of your kids is not a member of the Church? As a mother this would really eat at me each night and day…to know that something that I should of done was not done, to risk the salvation of my child
Can. 1125
1/ the Catholic party is to declare that he or she is prepared to remove dangers of defecting from the faith and is to make a sincere promise to do all in his or her power so that all offspring are baptized and brought up in the Catholic Church;

 

[IrishJoe]

If your vocation is God’s will who can argue with it?

God trumps church.

Yes, the Church’s guidances makes us worse Christians. Do you even listen to yourself?

It can make people rather judgmental in my experience. Not a very Christian trait I find.

Yeah because the gene pool is a more important concern than for families to be unified spiritually. The human race is in a precarious situation and we need to take all steps to strengthen our gene pool or else we’ll be extinct.

I was being asinine to show how ludicrous this debate is…

 

[pete_29]

What response are you waiting for?
Other than how sad.
This is one of the reasons that I really think inter-faith marriages should not be allowed. How does it feel to know that one of your kids is not a member of the Church? As a mother this would really eat at me each night and day…to know that something that I should of done was not done, to risk the salvation of my child
Can. 1125
1/ the Catholic party is to declare that he or she is prepared to remove dangers of defecting from the faith and is to make a sincere promise to do all in his or her power so that all offspring are baptized and brought up in the Catholic Church;

Why did you take my statement personally. I had to get some sleep so that I could go to work tonight. Unfortunately my wife woke me up early calling from the hospital with our Catholic child and told me that she will need another operation tomorrow. My wife acts more Catholic than a lot of Catholics I know. When I said i’d look for your response I simply didn’t want you to think that I was not posting because of your posts. I think you need to get rid of that only Catholics are going to heaven attitude. With God all things are possible, even people who are not Catholic being saved. Yes I made a mistake. I should have taken more responsibility in my oldest daughters religious upbringing, but she’s a good kid. Charitable, smart, and kind, and I’ll stack her up against any of the Catholic kids I have ever known. I promised myself that I wouldn’t argue with you because you are right, I should have raised both of my kids in the Catholic church, but I didn’t. So you decide, am I evil or human.

P.S. My wife has dealt with much adversity in here life, including Certain mental abberations of mine. I wonder if you would have stayed in this marraige.

 

[pete_29]

** If the Catholic faith was central to a person’s life then they would not put their earthly loves above love for God:shrug: Having a spouse and/or child of a different faith would be a source of pain and heartache…

Malia**

You know, maybe its because none of the good Catholic girls i knew would have me because I didn’t come from the right family.

 

[wifeandmomoftwo]

Why did you take my statement personally.

Because it was a reply to my post:shrug:

I had to get some sleep so that I could go to work tonight. Unfortunately my wife woke me up early calling from the hospital with our Catholic child and told me that she will need another operation tomorrow.

I keep her in my prayers!

My wife acts more Catholic than a lot of Catholics I know.

When I said i’d look for your response I simply didn’t want you to think that I was not posting because of your posts.

On these forums we dont expect instant replies all the time.

I think you need to get rid of that only Catholics are going to heaven attitude.

Hmm…when did I say that Catholics are the only ones headed to heaven? Dont recall that:shrug:

With God all things are possible, even people who are not Catholic being saved.

Yes that is true.

Yes I made a mistake. I should have taken more responsibility in my oldest daughters religious upbringing, but she’s a good kid.

IMHO, yes you did and I am sure she is a great kid!

. I promised myself that I wouldn’t argue with you because you are right, I should have raised both of my kids in the Catholic church, but I didn’t.

No need to argue Pete…I wasnt looking to argue.
I was just pointing out the CHurchs stance on this and then I gave my point of view…how I would of felt if I was in your position.

So you decide, am I evil or human.

Hmm…can I get back to you one this one
Joking (just in case you missed it) your human of course!!!

 

[pete_29]

Because it was a reply to my post:shrug:

I keep her in my prayers!



On these forums we dont expect instant replies all the time.

Hmm…when did I say that Catholics are the only ones headed to heaven? Dont recall that:shrug:

Yes that is true.

IMHO, yes you did and I am sure she is a great kid!

No need to argue Pete…I wasnt looking to argue.
I was just pointing out the CHurchs stance on this and then I gave my point of view…how I would of felt if I was in your position.

Hmm…can I get back to you one this one
Joking (just in case you missed it) your human of course!!!

I know a lot of people that would disagree with that last statement

Sorry for the attitude. Bad night.

 

[wifeandmomoftwo]

I know a lot of people that would disagree with that last statement

well i would not be one of them

Sorry for the attitude. Bad night.

Pete it is ok…we all have bad days/nights/weeks etc.
that just means a :grouphug: is needed

 

[LeahInancsi]

I can’t bear to think of an inter-faith marriage when it’s hard enough living with my Protestant mother. She can’t object to my converting because her very beloved mother was raised Catholic and retained her Catholic values till her death, but she’s not entirely supportive.

I like to make twine rosaries and it drives my mother crazy. She keeps asking how long I’m going to keep doing it.

 

[IrishJoe]

My Grandad was protestant… when my granny died he still made sure the kids were rasied Catholic.

My Girlfrined is protestant and we dont have any problems.

In fact the only think ‘attacking my faith’ is the lack of tolerance and almost robotic responses by various Catholics I know and catholics on this forum.

It speaks volumes about Catholicism

 

[awantz]

Interfaith relationships/ marriages can and do work. I know, because I’ve been in one for about 4 years now. However, before you get married you need to talk to your future spouse and make sure you have all the important issues cleared out before you get married.

 

[Feanaro_s_Wife]

before you get married you need to talk to your future spouse and make sure you have all the important issues cleared out before you get married.

**There was once a time when shared faith WAS an important issue. Maybe as a convert I have a bit more fire or something. But now that I have found the truth and recognize what an absolute blessing having faith is, I can not imagine jeopardizing it or my children’s by entering into a marriage with someone who does not share it. But since I am already married I guess it doesn’t matter much what I think:shrug:

Malia**

 

[homewardbound]

**There was once a time when shared faith WAS an important issue. Maybe as a convert I have a bit more fire or something. But now that I have found the truth and recognize what an absolute blessing having faith is, I can not imagine jeopardizing it or my children’s by entering into a marriage with someone who does not share it. But since I am already married I guess it doesn’t matter much what I think:shrug:

Malia**

I agree, I could never date anyone who was not Catholic.

However, had my boyfriend been that way I would have never found the Church. (not sure why he decided to date me anyway when he told me from the beginning he’d never marry anyone who wasn’t Catholic) By the grace of God, I realized the truth of Catholicism and we’re still together. So, I think God can work for those who are open to His will. Really depends on the people.