Would you marry someone that is another religions ?

[nagaseeker]

Here is an article that reflects upon inter-religious acceptance between spouses. (It was originally written for http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thedailyenlightenment-realisation/message/193 about six years ago.) Do share your thoughts on it!

[valeriecheung]

Reason : less problem

[negra orquida]

I think as long as both parties truly accepts each other's beliefs and do not impose on each other, an inter-faith marriage could work...  Even better if both make effort to understand the other's religion and try to find some common points.

Easier said than done of course, especially if both are staunch in their respective religion.  As a Buddhist, I imagine it may be quite hard to live with someone who firmly doesn't believe in future lives and karma, as their perception of and purpose / priorities in life may be different from one who does?  Its like one would have a longer term / broader point of view but the other may have only a short term/ narrow point of view in life, and live their lives accordingly on the respective basis.

[diamond girl]

Why should religion be barrier to two people sharing their lives together? Many marriages have lasted through time andy many have not. From what I know, those which do not last have nothing to do with religion but character differences and the famous "irreconcilable differences".

Religion is meant to bring compassion and harmony and not fanatical impositions. Look, if your partner can impose onto you his/her beliefs without regard to your beliefs, then you should not even consider marrying him/her and it is not about religion BUT disrespect...

If two people can accept the differences in religion and yet respect the differences, then I would say they have begun building their future in strong foundation.

[DSFriend]

Hi Nagaseeker. Very cool signature banner you have

I appreciate friendships from people of all faith but to marry a person of a different faith would be quite a challenge. All faiths and religion teaches good values. However, the methods may vary and at times seems contradictory.

Religion, a belief system is crucial to ground people. And people sharing the same belief can provide a tremendous support towards each other. Therefore, if the method seems contradictory, i'd think it'd be quite difficult to be of support to our spouse.

[kris]

I have faith in my religion, therefore, I am not "worried" about being compared Also, since Buddhism promotes harmony among religions, this should apply to married couple too.

[nagaseeker]

Hi Nagaseeker. Very cool signature banner you have

I appreciate friendships from people of all faith but to marry a person of a different faith would be quite a challenge. All faiths and religion teaches good values. However, the methods may vary and at times seems contradictory.

Religion, a belief system is crucial to ground people. And people sharing the same belief can provide a tremendous support towards each other. Therefore, if the method seems contradictory, i'd think it'd be quite difficult to be of support to our spouse.

Nice huh , took me 20 minutes to design it   .

[nagaseeker]

I have faith in my religion, therefore, I am not "worried" about being compared Also, since Buddhism promotes harmony among religions, this should apply to married couple too.

Dear Kris , you are not "worried" about being compared , but how about your spouse. i know its not a game or whatsoever for us to proof whoes religion is "better" but we are still in samsara .Buddhism promotes harmony among religions , but how about other religions ?

[Klein]

Religion has nothing to do with my love for my spouse. Spirituality makes us more loving and caring. It's just that my spouse attends a different school of spirituality than mine. If my love is determined by issues like religion then my love is not about accepting the person but more on fulfilling my expectations.

If this is the case, then I'm doomed to be miserable.

[Galen]

I will not marry someone who is of different religion to me. I may go out with someone who is not Buddhist. We may say that love conquers all and other stuff, but when it comes to the real situation, it may be more difficult to handle that perceived. There will be conflicts and misunderstanding etc.
To avoid all this, I'd rather not.

[Positive Change]

Hi Nagaseeker. Very cool signature banner you have

I appreciate friendships from people of all faith but to marry a person of a different faith would be quite a challenge. All faiths and religion teaches good values. However, the methods may vary and at times seems contradictory.

Religion, a belief system is crucial to ground people. And people sharing the same belief can provide a tremendous support towards each other. Therefore, if the method seems contradictory, i'd think it'd be quite difficult to be of support to our spouse.

I too like the signature banner of Nagaseeker... keep it up!

DS Friend, I can see how marrying a person of a different faith "could be" a challenge. BUT it should not be. I believe when one commits to a relationship, one should not make such issues as the differences in religion come into play. In fact, one should find the common ground that one shares with one's partner and that encompasses religions too. It also includes, friends, likes and dislikes, family etc.

I guess the key to a successful marriage or any relationship is understanding and respect for the differences and enbracing the commonalities. That is how we compliment and support our spouses or partners!

[hope rainbow]

Would you marry someone that is of another religion?

I picked the answer: YES, WHY NOT?
But I would have preferred this answer: YES, ABSOLUTELY!

I think that inter-religious marriages of two practicing persons can do wonders to our world in serious need for inter-faith harmony!
So, I think that these types of marriages could contribute to world peace!

Also, it can bridge communities, especially in places where different faiths must live together, such as India or the Middle-East.
Often in such places, we find that religion keeps people apart instead of bringing people together, that is very saddening...

If faiths cannot live harmoniously within a couple, how can they live harmoniously in the world?
How?

This vote reminds me of this true story that happened in India shortly after the independence when the country was torn apart by the separation into Hindu and Muslim states. There had been violent struggles and many people were killed.
One Hindu man came to the Mahatma Gandhi and confessed that he had killed Muslims, and was sincerely regretting his action.
The Mahatma advised him and his wife to adopt a Muslim child and raise him in his Muslim faith.

As a Buddhist, this should even be  more appropriate, for the Buddhist faith embraces all faiths without contradictions.
So what is the problem with inter-faith marriages really? What a wonderful spiritual practice this can be!

[bambi]

I have friends who married their spouse of another religion and I don't hear them having any problems. 
To me, it is actually the extent of understanding and respect in a relationship that will determine these factors. There must be a level of understanding and discussions as to what will happen when they decide to get married due to the different beliefs. I will not coerce nor disrespect as I love that person for who he is and not what he believes in. I am sure that when we change to be better due to our spiritual practices, our spouse can notice it and maybe they will be inspired to do better at theirs.

[Dondrup Shugden]

I would not. In any union may it be marriage (the most common one), commercial etc. having to deal with different view points are already issues to be handled, why make it more problematic with something so personal, of which you can make a choice.

Love is beautiful, but love of a marriage is so conditional (in most cases, usually after a perfect princess or prince) why make it more difficult with another condition of religious differences. With time the differences will show and become an issue. 

Love based on choices is already conditional, so make the right choice and marry someone of same religion. A condition set right from the start. 

[yontenjamyang]

I think yes, why not? If we observe carefully, regardless of religions, or if a couple have different or same religion if depends really on the individuals involved if the marriage works. I have seen a few interfaith marriage that works and many of the same faith that didn't work out. Hence, in marriage, religion is not really the problem, unless the laws says you need to change the religion of your spouse as in some countries.

Being buddhists, we value the spouse's disposition ie if the spouse is compassionate, loving to others, let go of negative situations etc. We can find many of a different faith who has this qualities.