Inter religion marriage

[lauramelissa]

Your (name removed by moderator)ut and voice are very important, religious or not. Everyone has something to offer here, so please don’t stay away from us scary religious folk

I definitely think that as a non-religious person that this comparison would shock you. It probably shocks others here too. But, for people who put their faith in a religion, religion is more than a set of beliefs about how to treat others. Most of the major faiths believe that we do not cease to exist at death, but rather spend the rest of eternity as our life has earned (for lack of an easier explanation).

Catholicism, other forms of Christianity, Judeism, Islam, Hindu, Mormon, Buddhism, etc, focus on how to best lead your life on Earth, so you spend Eternity in a good way. Boiled down to the basic, these all teach in different ways that if you spend your life ignoring God and His rules (which each faith defines differently), you will spend Eternity after death being ignored by God, or punished. So, religious choices are more than just a way of thinking, or where you go on Sunday (or Saturday). They are choices deciding where you will spend Eternity.

So, what seems odd to me is that parents work very hard to be sure their children don’t do drugs (and rightly so!). The parent is trying to save their children from a few hours of trouble that could harm their future. But, parents are willing to let their children “find their own way”, which could lead them into an eternity of trouble. Seems quite a paradox…

Thanks for your receptiveness.

Though, I think (as I stated earlier) we’re looking at a varying amount of opinions as to “what” determines going to/achieving heaven/paradise/nirvana/etc. Personally, as someone who’s not convinced of any of it, I tend to think that living a moral life is the most important thing whether there is an afterlife or not. With that statement, I’m not attempting to imply or presume that people are only good just because they want to to go Heaven - I know some people are quick to make that assumption, so I just wanted to clear it up to avoid any possible future misconceptions.

Of course, the conundrum is that most people of strong faith across the board hold the same view you’ve just brought up here. Not many are willing to compromise, especially when (as you said), they feel they may be compromising their children’s salvation. Personally, if I marry a religious person (or if I don’t) I want my children to have access and be knowledgeable of as many religions and cultures as possible because I think allowing people to explore faiths based on who they are as opposed to what family they were born into gives them enormous opportunities for personal fulfillment, as well as a strong connection with whatever belief they have. That’s not to say people born into religious families can’t achieve this in their upbringing… I suppose it’s just a personal choice on my part.

As for the original poster… I’d echo what others have said: I’d be more worried that he’s consulting his family on how you two should raise your children. You’re being open to his religious background - he should respect that and allow you as a couple to come to a compromise without consulting outside parties.**

 

[seaneen]

i am orthodox so maybe im not aware of the theogical stance in the roman catholic church, however i was of the belief that the pope of rome discouraged catholic women to wed muslim men. Should this not be something you, as a roman catholic should concider before bringing children into the world? Children need stability and it is my personal opinion that children should be brought up in a peacefull household filled with love and compassion, can you as a couple offer this? I also thought, however please correct me if im wrong, that a non christian can not wed a christian in a catholic church due to the fact that marriage is a sacrament and a non christian can not recieve the sacraments. Is this not so?
Go to your priest, seek guidence, that is what he is there for, you both need to have guidence, otherwise you are setting a marriage of on the wrong foot. Both parties should be able to sort out their problems, otherwise the marriage itself will be a disaster.