“Well, tough luck, but I’d rather not end up in a relationship in which I have to fight for every decision regarding the children’s upgringing, every refusal of going to a party on a fast day, not even to mention pronouncements regarding abortion or contraception.”
People fight over many things, two Catholics can have the same fights- one might be more picky about their beliefs than the other. A Catholic and a non-Catholic can also agree on things of that nature. It is not unheard of. Marriages take compromise and sacrifice, as does a serious dating relationship.
I’ve read over all the pages in this thread. And the conclusion that I end up with is that there are good and bad Catholics, and good and bad Non-Catholics. Some spouses have converted, others have kept their faith. It works between interfaith, and can fall apart even if both are Catholic.
I have also read hopes that the Church bans interfaith marriages. Now, would that make people already in such a marriage, otherwise valid, no longer married? And what of those people who hope to be married and are such a couple? If that were to happen… well, three things come to mind, should the couple not want to split up. A fake conversion from the non-Catholic, leaving the Church from the Catholic, or living in sin for the both of them without any marriage.
Thankfully there is no ban. The Church does discourage such marriages, but there can and do happen. Yes, I know that not everything always ends well, but we can all see that it has worked out well for more than one person.
Yes, yes, seeing that others have done it shouldn’t be proof that my relationship will work. But on the same hand, a bit to the left, seeing that other’s have failed shouldn’t be proof that mine will.
Statistics keep up popping up that if the father doesn’t go to Church, neither shall the children. But the same study also seems to show that most children will go as adults if their father alone attends. So should all Catholic mothers, for the sake of statistics, lose their faith?
Before I had technically agreed to date my boyfriend I told him no-- because he was not Catholic and I assumed I was not allowed to date him. I was then informed that I could. So I took back the rejection and that is something that I in no way, shape or form regret. Or ever shall. He is a good man, caring and loving. He and I discuss faith and religion, we can and do work things out if there is a problem.
I do ask that this thread continue, there is still much to talk about and it is a nice discussion.
For those that say never, are you friends with non-Catholics? Almost seems to me as if you can’t be-- the way some of these posts read it is as if you see them as another species that cannot be mingled with.
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