Is it okay to date non-Christians?

[Holly3278]

Hey everyone. Is it okay for a Catholic to date a non-Christian? I am currently in a relationship with a non-Christian guy. He believes in God but he is not a Christian or at least he has never claimed to be. That and he’s never been baptized either so technically he is not a Christian. Is this an immoral relationship?

 

[Bezant]

Hey everyone. Is it okay for a Catholic to date a non-Christian? I am currently in a relationship with a non-Christian guy. He believes in God but he is not a Christian or at least he has never claimed to be. That and he’s never been baptized either so technically he is not a Christian. Is this an immoral relationship?

Yes, you are allowed to. No, it is not immoral.

However, both of you need to be clear on your expectations–as you would in any relationship–from the beginning.

By expectations, I don’t necessarily mean marriage–there’s no obligation, by the way, to date only to find a spouse.

However, if marriage isn’t on your mind, you have to accept the potential consequences of that expectation.

And if you are trying to find a husband, you have to consider what religion you’ll raise your children, spirituality in the home, etc.

 

[Pfaffenhoffen]

Hey everyone. Is it okay for a Catholic to date a non-Christian? I am currently in a relationship with a non-Christian guy. He believes in God but he is not a Christian or at least he has never claimed to be. That and he’s never been baptized either so technically he is not a Christian. Is this an immoral relationship?

I would avoid Muslims at all !
As for the rest, I see an occasion for you to show yourself a good Catholic. Please, do not call it “immoral” …
Who knows whether your date is what Karl Rahner called “an anonymous Christian”, that is to say, a person who does notknow christ but had he known, he could embrace Him with all his heart.
Good luck to your love. Luck=God.

 

[Tietjen]

Hey everyone. Is it okay for a Catholic to date a non-Christian? I am currently in a relationship with a non-Christian guy. He believes in God but he is not a Christian or at least he has never claimed to be. That and he’s never been baptized either so technically he is not a Christian. Is this an immoral relationship?

I think it all depends on how a person sees “dating.” For me, it would be at least a waste of time as I believe dating to be the means used to help determine a future spouse. Since I would never consider marrying a non-Catholic it wouldn’t make much sense. For those that believe that “dating” is all about being social, having fun, and don’t see a relationship between marriage and dating (or courting) then perhaps it is not immoral and possibly not even a waste of time. I mean isn’t morality a relative term?

 

[DoGodsBidding]

I think it all depends on how a person sees “dating.” For me, it would be at least a waste of time as I believe dating to be the means used to help determine a future spouse. Since I would never consider marrying a non-Catholic it wouldn’t make much sense.

As a father of three, this is the same advice that I have given my now grown children. The first two have done well, the last one is still discerning.

DGB

 

[PerfectTiming]

Hey everyone. Is it okay for a Catholic to date a non-Christian? I am currently in a relationship with a non-Christian guy. He believes in God but he is not a Christian or at least he has never claimed to be. That and he’s never been baptized either so technically he is not a Christian. Is this an immoral relationship?

Is it immoral? No. It is advisable? No. There are simply too many issues that come up that would not if you dated a Catholic.

 

[Holly3278]

I would avoid Muslims at all !
As for the rest, I see an occasion for you to show yourself a good Catholic. Please, do not call it “immoral” …
Who knows whether your date is what Karl Rahner called “an anonymous Christian”, that is to say, a person who does notknow christ but had he known, he could embrace Him with all his heart.
Good luck to your love. Luck=God.

My boyfriend (now ex-boyfriend) is not a Muslim. I don’t know what you would call him. I know he believes in God but he also believes in false things like karma.

 

[akela135]

It is alright to date a non-christian. It is important to keep communication about faith open, so you can both grow in deeper understanding of what each other believe. Ideally through this communication your significant other would choose to become Catholic.

My mother was not christian when she met my Catholic father but through their time dating she saw the beauty and truth of the Catholic faith and converted. She is one of the best Catholic role models I know. Seeing how devoted my mother is to her prayer and spiritual life has always brought a certain peace to my own life and helped me grow deeper in my faith as well. If my father had not dated her because she wasn’t christian, then my mother may never have converted and at the very least I wouldn’t be here.

I myself am also in a relationship with a non-christan and right from the beginning he has been open to learning about the Catholic faith. He isn’t sure if he is called to be Catholic but in the 10 months we have been dating he has only missed Sunday Mass a handful of times and is really trying to understand what I believe as a Catholic so that he can share in my faith with me.

I think the real thing you need to consider when it comes to dating anyone is does that relationship cause you to grow closer to God or draw away? Even if the relationship is rocky and your partner questions your faith it could still be a positive experience if you took that opportunity to study more closely what you believe so you’d be able to defend your faith. While I wouldn’t suggest continuing in a relationship like that I wouldn’t say it was negative if it helped you grow in faith.

I hope this helps.

 

[Castello]

Scripture tells us not to be yoked with unbelievers and asks what fellowship does light have with darkness.

Dating is for discerning marriage. Catholics are not to marry non-Christians. They may request permission from the Bishop to marry a non-Christian, but, it is not guaranteed.

 

[Catholic1954]

Hey everyone. Is it okay for a Catholic to date a non-Christian? I am currently in a relationship with a non-Christian guy. He believes in God but he is not a Christian or at least he has never claimed to be. That and he’s never been baptized either so technically he is not a Christian. Is this an immoral relationship?

This is not an immoral relationship, however, if you decide to marry this person, you will need to have MANY honest discussions about religion and how to raise the children. As a Catholic you have an obligation to see to it that your children are raised as Catholics.

 

[Pfaffenhoffen]

My boyfriend (now ex-boyfriend) is not a Muslim. I don’t know what you would call him. I know he believes in God but he also believes in false things like karma.

Baptize Karma.
In our Religion, we call Karma, “God willing”, “put it into God’s Hands”, and other expressions that you, as an english speaker, know better.
It means that most of what happens depends on someone superior to us.