I hope everyone enjoyed the 4th of July weekend. I had the luxury of going out to Chicago for one of my friend’s wedding. It was a beautiful wedding I must say. One thing I noticed was that his wife had a Muslim religious background and my friend is Christian Baptist. I have seen the two of them together and their chemistry is something remarkable. I have never seen two people who fit so well together but I’m curious as to how they will handle their religious difference.
Before I go any further, I would like to say that I know everyone has different religious beliefs. Neither DMVBlackSingles nor this blog intends to pronounce any religion over another. I am Christian Baptist and the Bible has definite instruction on only marrying another Christian. Now I’m no Saint and I have not always followed the Bible’s instruction to a T but marrying someone who is not Christian is something I can’t do. One other reason on top of what the Word says is the dilemma of what religion my kids will be raised with. I asked my friend who got married on Saturday and he told me they agreed to expose their kids to both religions and to let the kids decide themselves. For me, that route is not sufficient. As the head of my household, it is my job to make every effort to ensure that faith in Jesus Christ is at the foundation of my household.
In saying this, I have sometimes dated women that had other religious faiths or even no religious faith at all but I was in the stage where I was not looking for a serious relationship. So what are your thoughts? Would you be open to dating someone who has a differing religious faith or would you X him or her out as a potential life partner? If you are open to marrying someone of another religious faith, how do you see handling the religious aspect of your relationship?
I would not date a Muslim or an overzealous Christian.
Comment by marlene — July 6, 2010 @ 7:27 pm
Mr. Jackson you bring up a very controversial topic but indeed an important topic when dating/relationships. I was born Christian- Seventh-day Adventist. As I became an adult I realize for myself the power of God and am committed to attempt to follow His word. When I was growing up my father was not involved in church (at all) not against it but didnt really have interest. I saw how difficult it was for my mom to teach us and show us when my father was doing his own thing and being totally different than what my mom was trying to instill in us (her children). That being said. I could not marry someone of a different faith than me. I want to share going to church together, discussing the sermon, applying it and having our children involved as well. I think its sexy when the man steps up and be the head of the household not only financially and emotionally but also spiritually. I could date someone outside my religion but at this point what’s the point of dating if you are not looking to move forward into a more meaningful and longer lasting relationship. Just my opinion
Comment by Dionne — July 7, 2010 @ 12:14 am
When I was younger, this was a big dilemma for me. I was a firm believer in dating somone of the same faith – even the exact same religion as me. But as I grew up – I found that me limiting the men I dated by their religion was making me miss out on some really great guys. So I expanded my horizons and found the man of my dreams. While he is a Christian, he is not a practicing Christian and is not the exact same faith as me. However, we did decide that our children will be raised Catholic (what I am). We got married and had a full Catholic ceremony – where I received the eucharist and he received a blessing. I think our wedding was a great symbol of embracing other religions and people. If you limit your dating pool to just someone of the same faith – you are missing out on some amazing people. In my opinion, it is just as silly as saying you won’t date anyone that doesn’t have a college degree, you won’t date someone that isnt’ the same race, you won’t date someone that blah, blah, blah.
If you love someone, you can make it work. Life is all about being open and making compromises. Dating someone from another faith is not giving up on your own, but it is about being an open person that loves and treats all people as you would like to be treated and loved.
Comment by Becky — July 7, 2010 @ 3:45 pm