C
Crescentinus
Guest
What is missionary dating?
- Status
J
JohnAlexander
Guest
Not a weird question.
Missionary dating is when you date someone in order to convert them, not in order to dicern a marriage partner.
I think it is evil. Although perhaps well intentioned it is dishonest. How can mixing the Truth with deception not be evil?
Missionary dating is when you date someone in order to convert them, not in order to dicern a marriage partner.
I think it is evil. Although perhaps well intentioned it is dishonest. How can mixing the Truth with deception not be evil?
B
Byrnwiga
Guest
It’s good to know the correct definition now. 
I actually always thought it was used in Mormon circles with regards to dating a missionary. Now I feel silly 
.
-Byrnwiga
I actually always thought it was used in Mormon circles with regards to dating a missionary. Now I feel silly .-Byrnwiga
A
Angelsflight
Guest
Missionary dating is a phrase used in a Christian context to describe when a person of one religion dates a person with differing beliefs for the purpose of changing that person’s beliefs or religion.
Synonymous phrases include “dating for Jesus” or “flirt to convert”. The concept of missionary dating is sometimes used to cover for or justify to one’s self, family, or religious community, romantic interest in a non-Christian if the relationship might otherwise be frowned upon.
Taken from Wikipedia…
Synonymous phrases include “dating for Jesus” or “flirt to convert”. The concept of missionary dating is sometimes used to cover for or justify to one’s self, family, or religious community, romantic interest in a non-Christian if the relationship might otherwise be frowned upon.
Taken from Wikipedia…
C
Crescentinus
Guest
I thought that missionary dating means to date a person so as to change a person. o:It’s good to know the correct definition now.
-Byrnwiga
F
feed_me
Guest
Missionary dating is a coin that you have to look out for. Their is 2 sides to it. Sometimes you meet somebody who is not Christian, and convert them later without you doing it, even St Paul talked about it in 1 Corinthians 7: 10-17. Then there is the other side where satan uses somebody to try in corrupt you and try to get you to convert to his idols. It is a coin that has to be dicerned very hard, well and thorough.
N
Norseman82
Guest
EXACTLY! One may think he or she is trying to convert the other, but ends up being converted to the other way (a non-Catholic religion, sinful practices habits such as ABC, cohabitation, invalid marriage, lax Mass attendance, children not being raised Catholic, etc.).
In addition, by practicing “missionary dating”, one is turning his/her back on “one’s own kind” who is in need of a spouse and who may be forced to seek elsewhere, thus endangering his/her own soul if converted to sinful practices such as those mentioned above.
A
Archangelic
Guest
“Flirt to convert” 
F
feed_me
Guest
And that is a coin that I am dealing with right now, and at which Jesus and satan flipped a coin and it landed on satans side, as i’m inspecting.
L
Luvz2travel
Guest
Never heard of it.
P
PaladinSword
Guest
I know a Mormon girl who has been trying this flirt to convert tactic with me for over a year and I’ve told her I’m not interested in dating or converting and she still hasn’t given up:shrug:It’s good to know the correct definition now.
-Byrnwiga
F
feed_me
Guest
A Christian coverting a Christian. Hmm…
Maybe you might want to date her then, then maybe you might be able to show her the truth of the Church. Might open her eyes.
P
PaladinSword
Guest
A Christian coverting a Christian. Hmm…
Maybe you might want to date her then, then maybe you might be able to show her the truth of the Church. Might open her eyes.
lol, I thought about it but I don’t feel like assassinating her character especially on a Christian forum. Call me picky but even if she were Catholic I probably wouldn’t pursue her. I’m sure she will find someone, as Mormons seem to be very good at marrying young.
As for me I’m still kind of looking but I don’t plan on settling for anyone unless it will lead to successful marriage. And I’m definitely done meeting women in clubs and bars etc. maybe my standards are too high.
C
chevalier
Guest
It can be done without deception if one sincerely wants to sacrifice himself for the conversion of the other person and is not intending to use manipulative or coercive tactics. And obviously when real marriage is intended and not a semblance of it.
For the record, ‘if he/she converts,’ is not a licit condition for marriage (no future conditions are licit). Such a condition could invalidate marriage (ironically perhaps as the invalidity somewhat wrongfully sought would actually be present for a different but related reason).
A
AthenaC
Guest
Don’t feel silly. I saw the first post and thought it had something to do with the missionary position.It’s good to know the correct definition now.
-Byrnwiga
B
Byrnwiga
Guest
Goodness gracious, now I feel even more naive; I had to look up that term you mentioned.
Alas! is there even hope for someone like me?
-Byrnwiga
I’ve mostly heard it used in the sense of dating someone with the intention of converting them. But marriage was still an ultimate goal. It wasn’t as if the person intended to move on once they succeeded in converting the other.
T
thewanderer
Guest
I don’t know… the idea of dating for the sake of converting someone just seems wrong. Even if you ultimately plan on marrying the person… :nope:
You should only date someone for the person that they are, not out of some desire to change them. sure, you can have the hope that they would one day convert, but to have as one of your purposes in dating them be to bring about their conversions… its just asking for trouble, not to mention the fact that it seems quite unfair on the other person, they deserve to be sought after for *who they are *not who they will be once they have converted.
You should only date someone for the person that they are, not out of some desire to change them. sure, you can have the hope that they would one day convert, but to have as one of your purposes in dating them be to bring about their conversions… its just asking for trouble, not to mention the fact that it seems quite unfair on the other person, they deserve to be sought after for *who they are *not who they will be once they have converted.
C
chevalier
Guest
Well, not if you do intend the best for that other person all the way, in addition to truly intending the marriage, and there is not going to be an exit or withdrawal or other reprisals for lack of a conversion. This goes against modern sensibilities, I guess (it probably didn’t so much when marriages were arranged–by parents or by oneself but arranged, rather than a response to perceived feelings), but I don’t really see a problem there, especially considering the importance of conversion (assuming we mean a real, bona fide conversion, not an external one to please the wife or husband) to salvation, which is the ultimate good for a human person.
Well, apparently the person has someone seeking his or her salvation at the cost of deep personal involvement and a lot of sacrifice. Not like the typical Catholic person should do it on one’s own, I guess… more like something after the manner of early saints, perhaps requiring spiritual counsel, perhaps a lot of personal holiness to begin with.
Feels different if we imagine a sect member doing it to a Catholic, I know. I suppose a lot of ex-pagans in heaven are quite happy with the “deception” they’ve fallen victim of.
T
thewanderer
Guest
Oh, trust me, I see absolutely nothing wrong with someone encouraging their spouse/fiance/boyfriend/girlfriend to look at theCatholic faith more closely, or desiring their conversion, praying for them, challenging them to really examine their religious beliefs etc. My problem is with the idea of the conversion being one of the aims of the relationship itself. As in, I like you, so I’m gonna date you in the hopes that you become Catholic and we can get married. I’m sorry but thats just wrong. It only setss you up to be disappointed if they don’t end up converting and is unfair on the person you are dating because they deserve to be in a relationship with someone who desires them as is, no ifs ands or buts, not with someone who likes them but is, as one of the very aims of their relationship, hoping to change them.Well, not if you do intend the best for that other person all the way, in addition to truly intending the marriage, and there is not going to be an exit or withdrawal or other reprisals for lack of a conversion. This goes against modern sensibilities, I guess (it probably didn’t so much when marriages were arranged–by parents or by oneself but arranged, rather than a response to perceived feelings), but I don’t really see a problem there, especially considering the importance of conversion (assuming we mean a real, bona fide conversion, not an external one to please the wife or husband) to salvation, which is the ultimate good for a human person.
Well, apparently the person has someone seeking his or her salvation at the cost of deep personal involvement and a lot of sacrifice. Not like the typical Catholic person should do it on one’s own, I guess… more like something after the manner of early saints, perhaps requiring spiritual counsel, perhaps a lot of personal holiness to begin with.
Feels different if we imagine a sect member doing it to a Catholic, I know. I suppose a lot of ex-pagans in heaven are quite happy with the “deception” they’ve fallen victim of.
I don’t think I’m making this distinction very clearly…
I’m perfectly fine with someone trying to convert the person they are dating so long as they would have no problems dating this person even if they were never to convert. In such a case conversion is not a part of the reason they are dating, it is an aside because they wish the very best for this person. When it becomes one of the reasons for dating then the very meaning of what a relationship is has become subverted. You can’t base a marriage (or a relationship, as relationships are the lead-ins to marriage) off of some future reality you hope to come to pass. It has to be unconditional with respect to the person you see before you. I’m really not sure if I’m making the difference that I see clear… but I hope this helps.
- Status