Can an inter-religion marriage work?

Question

I'm a Catholic. She's an ex-Jehovah's Witness looking into non-denominational worship. She doesn't feel anything special at a Catholic Church. I feel like something is missing from those non-denominational places.
Our marriage is working great but this has been a sensitive issue from the beginning. Neither of us will accept the other to make a sacrifice for the other. (I go just to please her or vice versa)

Do we just go separate ways on Sunday? That doesn't seem right to me.

Answer 1

Yes, an inter-religion marriage can work. You can have the best of both worlds.

You can go your separate ways on Sunday and come back together at the end of the day. Or, you can go to your mass on Saturday and do her mass on Sunday. Just think what you can teach your children...not to be so narrow minded. They don't have to be just one thing. I know a couple who, one is Catholic and one is Jewish. They celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah. It's really beautiful.

I am 100% Catholic, but I have friends who are Jehovah's, Baptists, full fledge Christians, and just one friend who doesn't believe at all. I still learn from them and just enjoy having such a diversity of friends. It makes interesting conversation. They don't judge me and I don't judge them.

This is really not a big of an issue as you're making it. Just get past this little "sensitive" area and your marriage will be even better.

Answer 2

Well, your marriage should be your first priority. Maybe you two could swap Sundays? Maybe the first and third Sundays go to the Catholic service, and the second and fourth go to the non-denominational church.

I have the same issue with my husband. We have simply NOT let it interfere with our relationship. There is nothing wrong with going your "separate" ways on Sundays. Maybe after your services are done, you two could meet up and have lunch somewhere, talk about your different churches and compare notes. This would be a good way to introduce each other to different denominations.

The fact is, you both are Christian, so it doesn't matter WHERE you go to church in the long run. Swap churches, go separate--whatever you decide, don't hold it against the other. Neither of you should have to "sacrifce" your church feelings for the other. You aren't different religions, just different denominations.

Marriage is all about compromise!

Answer 3

True enough that a non-denominational religion probably isn't for both of you. However, why not just base your marriage on love? Why does the religion have to be a factor if your marriage is working so far?

I'm not bashing religion. I think everyone could use a good dose of it. But, if both of you are unable to compromise, then maybe going your seperate ways on the Sabbath is a good idea. At least you won't be forcing your beliefs on each other.

I believe that love transcends race, sex, social class and religion. And in my opinion, is the true religion. It's the only thing that all religions have in common.

Answer 4

She is missing something in the catholic church, she seems to want something more contemorary. What are you missing in the non-denominational church? Or are you just comparing it to your church and how you were raised?
I think going your seperate ways is sad, until you both can believe the same. The Bible is clear about being un-equally yoked. Its hard, but since you knew what you were getting into, you just got to live with it.

Answer 5

It matters how much it matters to the both of you. Suppose the kids grow up thinking that they want nothing to do with either of your religions? Don't force it on them or make it a dividing issue in your family dynamics.

Even though none of the religions can prove it, I believe that there is a god or some controlling force in the universe. I just don't think it's the most important thing in a person's life. Religious fanaticism is BAD in ALL respects

Answer 6

My husband is Muslim and I'm a Christian, so yes, this can work. He's attended some services with me at church, but because we have different faiths, I don't expect him to. We had this discussion prior to marriage, so that during marriage there wouldn't be a conflict.

The bible does say that you have to be EQUALLY YOKED

You guys have to come to some agreements. It may be to agree to disagree. One or both of you may want to convert. If you have children, it only gets worse. You guys need to seriously discuss this. This will only cause separation, if you allow it to.

Answer 7

Consider re-examining Jehovah's Witnesses.

Jehovah's Witnesses have the true religion. They are Christian (of course), but they are unique for their rejection of paganisms, use of God's personal name, and global preaching by every active adherent. No other religious organization can claim such purity of worship.

These facts about Jehovah's Witnesses are perhaps relevant to this question. The more one compares this Christian religion with others, the more remarkable it is shown to be.

1. Jehovah's Witnesses have no paid clergy. Yet they remain tightly organized with more than 6.5 million active Jehovah's Witness preachers (about 16 million associate themselves with the religion). Even fulltime preachers and workers at their branch offices are unpaid volunteers.

2. There is no elite class among Jehovah's Witnesses. Even the few 'anointed' among them enjoy no special privileges in their congregations on earth. An anointed person (one of those relative few with a heavenly hope) is not elevated above his fellow congregants in any way, and he may not even qualify for appointment as a simple 'deacon' or elder. There are no titles; EVERYONE is addressed as 'brother' or 'sister'.

3. No person benefits economically from the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses. Even the 8 to 20 men who serve on their Governing Body receive simply room, board, medical care, and reimbursement for certain personal expenses according to the exact same provision as every other branch volunteer.

4. About a hundred men have served on Jehovah's Witnesses' Governing Body committee during the past 125 years or so. The vast majority of them have spent the vast majority of their adult lives volunteering for their organization's purposes, and the vast majority have died faithfully and near-pennilessly while still under their legal 'vow of poverty'.

5. Amazingly, Jehovah's Witnesses did not splinter as a sect from some other religion. Instead, a truly tiny but sincere group of bible students studied only the Scriptures to determine the will of God. Thus their religion remains absolutely independent of and not carrying the sins of Christendom's history, yet carries the authority of Christ's teachings.

6. Despite the distortions of anti-Witnesses, throughout their modern history Jehovah's Witnesses have refused to claim divine inspiration or infallibility for their teachings. They have pointed to the bible (and not any particular translation) as the only inspired infallible means of knowing God's thoughts. For over 125 years, their teachings have been presented as merely the results of sincere bible research by imperfect but godly humans.


Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/jt/article_07.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20040601/article_02.htm
http://jw-media.org/people/who.htm
http://jw-media.org/people/statistics.htm