What do you think of people who convert to a religion because they love someone in that religion?

Question

(My opinion: I say religion is not like a pair of shoes, you better think carefully about what you do. If they are happy, I am happy for them, but in my experience this causes further problems down the road. What do you think?

Kindly,
Muslimah!

(I am asking for the opinion not a judgement, I say no one should force anyone to CHANGE RELIGION OR I WON'T MARRY YOU" To me that is just mean)

Answer 1

It's wrong. I hate that I always get accused of converting because of my husband, which is not true. My husband taught me about Islam and I converted before we got married, because of me, not him. But some people do strange things for love.

Answer 2

I agree with you. Religion is something very personal and ought to be very important. One should make their decision about religion based on much study, prayer, and inner searching. I don't understand changing religion for a partner. How can you be very sincere, if that is the reason you are converting?

I agree that this can cause problems down the road. Because oftentimes, if one converts just for marriage, the conversion is only outward, and not inward. This means that any time religion becomes a factor in decision making, (say, how to raise the children, or how to conduct funerals of loved ones, etc), there may very well be conflict.

Answer 3

I think it depends entirely on how devout you are. If you're a devout Catholic marrying an Episcopalian who hasn't been to church since he/she was 12, then your fiance probably won't go to mass either, so converting will probably just be an "in name only" thing that won't matter a whole lot to them besides their genuine desire to make you happy. Of course if you're a devout Catholic and it's really, REALLY important that you marry someone who will convert to Catholicism with you and go to mass every Sunday, rather than someone who's willing to convert and not put up a fight when your children are christened or baptized, thinks might get a little stickier.

However, if you've got two people who have very strong religious backgrounds, I think if one of them "must" convert it could cause big problems from the start. If my boyfriend and I were to get married and he demanded that our marriage was conditional upon me converting from Wicca to Catholicism, I'd really have to take a hard look at whether he's someone I could be married to, no matter how much I love him. Fortunately I'm dating an agnostic so the situation is hypothetical, but I have had boyfriends in the past I'm certain would have demanded I convert back to Christianity if we were getting married.

Answer 4

A Hadith of the Prophet (p) says that if anyone migrates for the sake of a woman, then the reward for his migration is the woman and not with Allah.

Anyone who reverts to Islam for the convinience of marriage will see problems down the line. The intention in their hearts is for Allah to judge.

From personal knowledge, they make poor quality Muslims with little faith, the children grow up distant from Islam and there is friction down the road unfortunately.

Reverting to Islam should be for the sake of God and because the person has seen the light of Islam, understands the turth in it and reverts for the love of it. Not for a man or woman.

So yes, I agree with your opinion.

Answer 5

Well, to be honest,

religion is relationship with God and consequently treating His creatures the way He wants us to treat them.

I agree with you.

However, I know many women who have fallen in love with Muslim men and have learned things about Islam that made them want to convert while the man had seriously no pressure on the woman.

Maybe loving another human can take down your prejudices toward something and open up the possibility of having an open mind about it. BUT it should NOT be the reason why people convert.

Also, conversion in Islam only has significance when a person does it out of their own FREE will and for their own good.


Not so they may make their loved ones happy, or look cute to their inlaws.

God alone should be our aim...and God alone should be our guide.

Answer 6

what difference does it really make what Religion a person is ? the only real difference ( in my opinion ) between one Religious Belief System and another are the differences in the NAMES one refers to GOD as along with the Rituals and Ceremonies used to Adore, Honor, Worship, Pray and Petition, Thank, Etc.Etc. GOD is to big to be in only one place and there are many paths and ways to reach ones destination such as walking, riding a bike, a motorcycle, taking a bus, a plane, a train, etc. getting to the destination is the important thing not how one gets there.

Answer 7

Assalamu' Alaikum!

One should never change into a religion out of love for someone else. Religion is no joke. It's a belief---it's a way of life. Usually those who do that, don't follow the religion properly and have no sense of what they are doing which causes quarrels and fights between them and their lovers.

Religion needs to be studies, reflected upon and the person has to be eager and ready to change their way of life.

Ma'assalama!

Answer 8

Well, the problem comes when the convert must face their dedication...
It's not wrong to be motivated by another believer (what better thing to desire than to have a love with god like one perceives another experiencing?); of course if the deeper motivation is really to just get close to the other one, well, what a mess that is. Trying to get close to someone by merely copying what they're doing is fallacious, doing that within the realm of service to god is most unhealthy, on many levels.
The hope is that the convert will realize the opportunity before them is their chance to be close to god and his people and develop their own spirituality, and not be sidetracked by the flesh.
It's discouraging when we see the situation you described in your question; we have concern for spiritual matters and it's troubling to see someone putting earthly interests first.
Pray continually and keep up your own good example to your own benefit and those who see you.

Answer 9

I think it depends on whether or not they believe in the religion. I do believe that if you love someone of another religion, you should try and learn as much as you possibly can about their belief's. And they should do the same for you. It will give you a better understanding of each other and who knows one of you may want to convert at that point. When I married a Muslim man I learned about Islam so that I could better understand his lifestyle and belief's. Then I converted of my own free will because I found in Islam something that I could believe in, a plan for my everyday life. But the conversion was entirely my idea, coercion is not allowed in Islam and he told me this when I began to study it.

Answer 10

I think that unlike an ordinary marriage, they are making two great life commitments and should think twice as long and hard about whether they really want this. But it is just as good a reason as any to join a religion. I think most people if not all people become followers of a religion for highly personal reasons. One might argue that children become part of a religion because they love their parents and their parents want them to believe in their religion. You do what your parents want so that they will continue to love you.

Answer 11

I agree with you. But unfortunately, muslims in my country force non-muslims to convert to islam before they marry one of theirs.

Islam is a religion which is forced onto others. In history we have seen the many Islamic conquest, Non-muslims forced to convert to islam under threat, kids brainwashed at the very early age to hate other religions, muslims not allowed to convert to other religion otherwise they will be killed.

So, to answer your question, I would say that people do not convert to other religions just because they love someone in that religion but because they are forced to do it by a repressive religion. Conversion does not arise that often in other mixed marriages where islam is not involved.