5 Points To Consider Before Marrying Someone From Another Religion
When two people have distinct theoretical beliefs that is, they have opinions about life, God and eternity, but do not follow a religion and decide to marry, then it is quite possible that they are happy. Your beliefs end up not having so much influence on your life and routine.
Before accepting a request for marriage or marrying someone from another faith, or who does not support you in your faith, answer sincerely the following questions:
1. Are you willing to face your family and his/her family?
If the whole family professes the same religious belief, it is very common for it to reject the boy or girl of another faith who wishes to marry or marry someone in that family. If both have their families in different religions, the pressure will come from both sides.
How will you deal with this situation? Although people do not marry their in-laws or in-laws, it is undeniable the influence they end up exerting on dating or marriage. Are you willing to deal with this pressure?
2. In what faith will you celebrate your union?
In religions, marriage is much more than a social ceremony. It involves promises, agreements, or covenants. Each religion has its own rules and requirements. And much of it requires that both profess the same faith for a marriage to be held in their churches, synagogues, mosques or temples.
What will it be like to marry out of the faith you held? What if there is pressure from your fiance/fiancee to marry his or her faith? Or, would you be content to marry only in civilian?
3. What rules will prevail in your home?
When husband and wife follow their respective religions, and these preach different lifestyles, it is very complicated to find a point of intercession. There are religions, for example, that are more liberal in relation to alcoholic beverages, sexy clothes, TV shows and censored films, etc., others totally abhor these things.
Some teach that Sunday is the Lord’s Sanctified day, others consider the Sabbath; And for others there is no sacred day. Some religions preach abstention from certain foods, such as coffee, black tea, pork, etc., while for most there are no dietary restrictions.
Can you imagine what it will be like to live in a house where what you hate is done in the most natural way?
4. What will you teach your children?
It is obvious that both father and mother will “pull ember” into their own religion. How will the little children’s heads be pulled from one side to the other? How do you bear to see the spouse teaching things that you consider to be wrong for your own child?
5. How would you react if you were pressured to abandon your faith?
I know of some cases where the husband or wife did not bear the pressure. Some ends up divorcing, others weakened in faith, or gave up persevering along the way, not to lose their spouse’s love or to avoid quarreling in the home.
Today you may not think so, but sooner or later the discussions will come up if you are active in different religions. Both may feel lonely in their worship and this will often be a cause for sadness and discouragement. Surely there will be pressure from both sides to abandon their faith.
This does not mean that it is always negative to embrace the spouse’s faith. Sometimes, it is not only good, but the best way to go. Or, then, both can embrace together a new faith. The decision to follow a faith should always be taken in a spirit of prayer.
It is God that we should consult on the way forward, not the spouse, family and friends. If God gives His endorsement, it is a good decision.
Some of these questions can be asked, too, by those who have practical faith and are thinking of marrying an atheist or agnostic.
Think seriously if you would bear an unequal yoke in marriage, and make your decision based on what you feel is the best thing to do.
