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Intermarriage

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member

Well...it depends. There are cultures which are more similar to one another so intermarriage is more natural. But when there is Love with Capitalized L, nothing else matters.
For example...here Sonia (Italian from Rome) and Brian (American from Denver) have so many things in common. They both studied languages. He studied Italian at college (he's very good at it, I can guarantee:p)...he met her on his Summer trip in Rome. He married her and they have chosen Italy as home, because, you know... of the tranquil lifestyle.

 
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IndigoChild5559

Loving God and my neighbor as myself.
I used to be married, I am divorced now. We had no problems until the kids were born, and I wanted them raised Jewish and he wanted them raised Christain. He became very bitter and hateful. It ended very badly.

Further, my kids got mixed messages growing up. Daddy said one thing and mommy said something else. They didn't know what to believe. So as adults, they basically believe no religion. Thankfully, they are still good moral people. But I feel that my husband and I wronged them.
 

IndigoChild5559

Loving God and my neighbor as myself.
My dad was a general Pentecostal white guy.
My mum is a Fijian born Indian who is Hindu. Most of their friends are coincidentally all “intermarried” as you put it.
And what happened when your mom said, "These are my gods," and your dad said, "your mom's gods are false idols." ???
 

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
And what happened when your mom said, "These are my gods," and your dad said, "your mom's gods are false idols." ???
I am so sorry for your experience.
I believe that interfaith marriage should always imply a common project, planned in advance.
I think that Love is about respecting your spouse's free will. And in fact if I married a man of a different faith than mine, I would never even try to impose him my beliefs which are mine only.
As for children's education, it is another difficult chapter to analyze.
 

Rival

Si m'ait Dieus
Staff member
Premium Member
I think interfaith marriages are harmful and ought to be avoided, if one is strict about one's religion. See Indigo's experience.
 

SomeRandom

Still learning to be wise
Staff member
Premium Member
And what happened when your mom said, "These are my gods," and your dad said, "your mom's gods are false idols." ???
That didn’t happen. Dad was chill and was mostly “culturally Christian.” He enjoyed learning about Mum’s culture and religious rituals. Encouraged me to explore religion, philosophy and find something that suited me.
Interestingly all my parent’s close friends (the ones intermarried anyway) are all Church of God Christians. I remember my mother remarking with admiration how they would say Grace before every meal, even with us. She thought it was a wonderful religious ritual and started doing her own variation of it
 

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
That didn’t happen. Dad was chill and was mostly “culturally Christian.” He enjoyed learning about Mum’s culture and religious rituals. Encouraged me to explore religion, philosophy and find something that suited me.
Interestingly all my parent’s close friends (the ones intermarried anyway) are all Church of God Christians. I remember my mother remarking with admiration how they would say Grace before every meal, even with us. She thought it was a wonderful religious ritual and started doing her own variation of it

I am so glad your parent's marriage worked out. A very good example.
 

Terrywoodenpic

Oldest Heretic
The more mixed up by faith and blood we become the better for mankind.
the less tribal man becomes, the less that conflict is the norm.

You have to go back to the early roman empire to find an acceptance of all religions and races with equality.
Except that is, ones that claimed exclusivity, who were distrusted and persecuted.
Because by claiming exclusivity you are denying other peoples right to their own beliefs.

Today religions have become more and more exclusive, with every divergence spawning a new religion.
The fastest growing belief system is atheism. (with the possible exception of belief in Magic and super powers.)

No one has the slightest Idea who or what God is, looks like, or whether he is the least interested in the daily doings of man. All religions seem to have self appointed spokesmen as founders, none of whom agree with each other about much of anything at all. Only the eastern religions seem to consider the nature of God. and our place in relation to him.

While it is reasonable to suppose that there can only be one Creator, there could be any number of lesser, local or specific gods through out the universes. The probability of one, many or no gods existing or not, is for all intents and purposes equal.
 

Rival

Si m'ait Dieus
Staff member
Premium Member
The fastest growing belief system is atheism. (with the possible exception of belief in Magic and super powers.)
In Europe and the US perhaps, but the trend seems to favour religion everywhere else:

The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050 | Pew Research Center (pewforum.org)

Atheists, agnostics and other people who do not affiliate with any religion – though increasing in countries such as the United States and France – will make up a declining share of the world’s total population.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
I think it depends a lot on the religiosity of the 2 individuals, or how adamant one or both are about being right. I've seen many, and some work, while others are disasters. I'd personally not recommend it simply because it dramatically increases the chances of failure.
The entire idea expands outside religion into politics, languages, rural/urban, and more. I can't see a strong Democrat and a strong Republican in the states these days getting along.
 

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
I think it depends a lot on the religiosity of the 2 individuals, or how adamant one or both are about being right. I've seen many, and some work, while others are disasters. I'd personally not recommend it simply because it dramatically increases the chances of failure.
The entire idea expands outside religion into politics, languages, rural/urban, and more. I can't see a strong Democrat and a strong Republican in the states these days getting along.

I think it is quite the opposite.
When two partners are of two different cultural backgrounds, and they respect each other's uniqueness, a marriage can have solid basis and last.
When two spouses intend to be the clone of one another, they will be more and more intransigent with one another.
I guess any psychologist will underline that the reason why many marriages end is the lack of mutual understanding. The lack of intellectual freedom that makes the two partners special to one another.

This is just my opinion, of course:)
 
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