Is marrying a non-Christian a SIN?

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This is from the Catechism:

Mixed marriages and disparity of cult

1633 In many countries the situation of a mixed marriage (marriage between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic) often arises. It requires particular attention on the part of couples and their pastors. A case of marriage with disparity of cult (between a Catholic and a nonbaptized person) requires even greater circumspection.

1634 Difference of confession between the spouses does not constitute an insurmountable obstacle for marriage, when they succeed in placing in common what they have received from their respective communities, and learn from each other the way in which each lives in fidelity to Christ. But the difficulties of mixed marriages must not be underestimated. They arise from the fact that the separation of Christians has not yet been overcome. The spouses risk experiencing the tragedy of Christian disunity even in the heart of their own home. Disparity of cult can further aggravate these difficulties. Differences about faith and the very notion of marriage, but also different religious mentalities, can become sources of tension in marriage, especially as regards the education of children. The temptation to religious indifference can then arise.

1635 According to the law in force in the Latin Church, a mixed marriage needs for liceity the express permission of ecclesiastical authority.[135] In case of disparity of cult an express dispensation from this impediment is required for the validity of the marriage.[136] This permission or dispensation presupposes that both parties know and do not exclude the essential ends and properties of marriage and the obligations assumed by the Catholic party concerning the baptism and education of the children in the Catholic Church.[137]

1636 Through ecumenical dialogue Christian communities in many regions have been able to put into effect a common pastoral practice for mixed marriages. Its task is to help such couples live out their particular situation in the light of faith, overcome the tensions between the couple’s obligations to each other and towards their ecclesial communities, and encourage the flowering of what is common to them in faith and respect for what separates them.

1637 In marriages with disparity of cult the Catholic spouse has a particular task: “For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband.”[138] It is a great joy for the Christian spouse and for the Church if this “consecration” should lead to the free conversion of the other spouse to the Christian faith.[139] Sincere married love, the humble and patient practice of the family virtues, and perseverance in prayer can prepare the non-believing spouse to accept the grace of conversion.
 
My question is will you marry him anyway? Do you love this person and want to spend the rest of your life with him?

If there is genuine love, respect, compassion, and understanding in your relationship and you want to formalize your commitment to this person, then how is that “sinful” (erroneous)?

Your Protestant friends, all due respect, are doing you a serious disservice. First of all, they should be happy for you and supportive of your decision rather than judgemental and condemning. Such is not found in true friendship. Secondly, their passing judgement on your partner and in effect “writing him off” suggesting that he could never become Christian in the future contradicts the very nature of Christianity.

I would suggest you ask them to mind their own business and re-examine what kind of “Christians”- and friends- they really are.
 
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tjmiller:
For a Christian to marry a non-Christian is a grave offense, for, as St. Paul observes, it is attempting to join light with darkness and Christ with Belial. Marriage is a Christian Sacrament. We must not admit infidels thereunto, any more than we would to Holy Communion.
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It makes no sense to exclude anyone from Communion or anything else, in my opinion. Christ approached everyone with open arms and anyone seeking to receive him with reverence should not be hindered. Wouldn’t the so-called “infidels” even have a greater need to receive Christ?

To allow dogma to impede or destroy a loving relationship would be a “sin” (error). Love is what Christ taught above all else.
 
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DaveBj:
The situation described in 1 Cor 7 was where both marriage partners had been unbelievers and one of them became a believer. Paul’s teaching in other areas is crystal clear–believers are to marry believers only.
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Which to me violates the teaching of not passing judgement on others.
 
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ReformedCatholic:
Which **to me ** violates the teaching of not passing judgement on others.
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Key term in above quote bolded.

I’ll take the clear teaching of scripture over what appears right “to you.”

It is true that there are “disparity-of-cult/denomination” marriages that work very well. My own marriage was mixed several different ways–at first nominally Catholic wife + baptised (but practicing small-p pagan) husband, then nominally Catholic wife + pentecostal husband. Then for 19 years or so we were united, first as pentecostals, then as Southern Baptists. Then Baptist, “never-going-back-to-Catholic-Church” wife, deeply-searching-Catholicism husband. Now–both solidly Catholic.

However, I believe that if one were to do an actual survey, one would find that the majority of them have serious problems, and some of them are outright disasters of the “Not Without My Daughter” magnitude. Paul was right. Believers should marry believers. It’s not a judgement per se on individuals, as you seem to think it is. It’s a simply matter of being equally yoked.

DaveBj

DaveBj
 
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DaveBj:
Key term in above quote bolded.

I’ll take the clear teaching of scripture over what appears right “to you.”

It is true that there are “disparity-of-cult/denomination” marriages that work very well. My own marriage was mixed several different ways–at first nominally Catholic wife + baptised (but practicing small-p pagan) husband, then nominally Catholic wife + pentecostal husband. Then for 19 years or so we were united, first as pentecostals, then as Southern Baptists. Then Baptist, “never-going-back-to-Catholic-Church” wife, deeply-searching-Catholicism husband. Now–both solidly Catholic.

However, I believe that if one were to do an actual survey, one would find that the majority of them have serious problems, and some of them are outright disasters of the “Not Without My Daughter” magnitude. Paul was right. Believers should marry believers. It’s not a judgement per se on individuals, as you seem to think it is. It’s a simply matter of being equally yoked.
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If it is a suggestion, then it’s not passing judgement. If it’s a requirement, then it could be interpreted as passing judgement.

If Scripture were as “clear” as you seem to think it is, there wouldn’t be dozens of Christian denominations, a dozen versions of the Bible, we wouldn’t need theologians, or anybody else’s “interpretation” of things.
 
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MichelleTherese:
I’m being told by several of my Protestant friends that I’m going to be committing sin when I marry my non-Christian fiance in July of this year.

Is this true???
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Possibly- how is this person strengthening your Christian faith?
 
I dont know if its a SIN but it is really difficult to get along if you are a true catholic. I married a non-christian, it is so difficult for me to make him undertstand some things from the catholic perspective. Every day i pray to God that I would be the happiest women in this world if I can make my husband sit beside me and do rosary and praise the Lord. But unfortunately I dont have that privilege in my life, some times i would just cry so much that Im missing a lot in my life, and I’m repenting for what ever step i took in my life. This is some thing irreversible and I feel so regretted.
 
Bible mentions that it is a SIN. I’m a catholic and I got married to non-christian, he seemed to be so comfortable me being catholic before marriage, and I felt comfortable that he would not create any issues for me, but after I got married It is so hard for me to explain some things from catholic perspective. Trust me, me being a true catholic, I ask myself everyday that how did I do this mistake. Its killing. Soem times I cry so much that, how nice it would have been if my husband was sitting beside while I do rosary. I just dont pray to God as a family, definetly Im misisng a lot of happiness in my life which i did not foresee before marriage.
 
I wanted very much to get involved in this conversation. It seems like some Churches have adopted dogmas from somewhere different than the Bible and I really get frustrated when it comes to this point. 2 Corinthians 6:14 “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers” is NOT RELATED TO THE TOPIC OF MARRIAGE, please read the passage and decide for yourself. Wherefore there is a clear statement on that in the Bible about marriage: “But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.”
1Corinthians 7:12-14
This is from religious perspective; from logical perspective; my personal opinion is that God created all people, not only Catholics or only Orthodox, or only Muslims and they have the right to find someone with similar values, thoughts and understanding. That not necessarily is someone from the same religion. Moreover I do not think that there are two people in this world with absolutely the same belief. That is why people are given free will to decide. Marriage is companionship with someone who thinks similarly. To be honest I didnt find the people from my Church to think like me. I am Orthodox Christian.
I felt obligated to get involved here because I see very often scriptures are being manipulated.

hope that has been helpful to you and congratulations on your engagement
 
Just wanted to say that a woman at the bible study I go to, was telling everyone there that she had married a man who is not Christian, and it has been and is still very difficult for her. She recommended people not to do it. I don’t know if it is a sin or not, but I do think that you are much better off marrying someone who is a Christian. I think that problems and conflicts will come about in the future, and your different beliefs will make it hard for you to solve them. Just my opinion. Hope I helped 🙂
 
The point of marriage is the same as a Priest or Nun taking vows…to help each other grow closer to God. If you believe with all your heart this is God’s will then that’s all that matters. We don’t understand God’s will in our lives, but I know that Jesus calls all of us to save as many ‘lost sheep’ as possible and that is the point of marriage, to help each other get to heaven.

I am in a marriage where my husband is a baptized Catholic, but not a practicing one. I knew this before we entered marriage. I believed with all my heart this was God’s will so I could help him grow closer to God through my life, my sacrifice and my actions. In fact, before we even entertained the idea of marriage, I somehow knew this was my mission. Although he isn’t the model Catholic now or most devout, he has grown a lot, and so has his heart, and I have learned to love our Lord Jesus even moreso because of him. I pray for my husband everyday and I thank our Lord that he has blessed me with him. Although he doesn’t realize it, his heart and soul is that of a Catholic, he sacrifices so much for me and my children I often can see Jesus through him, even though he can’t. 🙂
 
ReformedCatholic said:
Which to me violates the teaching of not passing judgement on others.
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Paul seems to have a different interpretation of that “judge not” teaching than you do. Between the two of you, who is more likely to know what Christ meant by it- you, living in a different culture, speaking a different language, almost 2000 years later, or Paul, who lived at the same time, in the same culture, spoke the same language, and learned what Christ said from the lips of the very people he said it to?
 
As many have said, it can be permitted - but ultimately if your faith life is important with you, wouldn’t you want to share it with your spouse. To be brutally truthful, could you actually be happy in any marriage if you could not share that one most important core of who you are with your spouse.
 
well love is GOD nd if u both love eachother, i guess no one can stop you…
 
All this is going to come down to your own decision about how serious you want to be in the practice of your faith. If you really, truly believe that Jesus is present in the Eucharist, it could be heartbreaking to marry a non-Catholic who thinks that the dearest thing in your life is just a cracker. And if Jesus is truly the lover of your soul, it could be heartbreaking to be married to a man who thinks He is just a good teacher. Catholic/Christian marriages are not just the couple, but husband, wife, and God–all three.

The Church does provide for cases like yours, in ways that conservative Protestants do not, so that it is possible for you to have the graces of the sacrament even if your husband is not Christian, and perhaps those graces will aid in his conversion.

Back in my days as a conservative protestant, we headed off the problem by never dating non-Christians, because if one were to fall in love, there would be an awful choice to make. I expect that is why they are so upset, because to them it represents a long process of willful disobedience.
 
Erm, doesn’t the bible caution against it? It however does not disapprove, I believe Pope Gregory XVI also wrote an encyclical cautioning against, but does not disapprove.
 
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