CONS.ELF@AIDA.CSD.UU.SE (Ake Eldberg (William de Corbie)) (03/19/90)
Dave Mielke points out that mixed faith marriages may be a sin, not to mention all the practical problems they may cause. I agree that one should not enter into such a relationship without having reached some sort of agreement on the issue. During the last 10 years, Sweden has received a large number of refugees from moslem countries, and many of these have married Swedish women. Divorce has followed when the husband wanted to exercise his religion-given right to beat his wife into submission (which emancipated Swedish women will not stand for). An then, the husband has taken their children and fled back to his home country. Swedish courts have ruled that the woman should have the children, but to no avail. There are many such tragedies. Moslem courts will always rule in favour of *anything* that will keep the children out of the "christian's" hands... This puts the focus on the real issue: which religion shall be the dominant one in a relationship? I am a protestant, but I would accept that my children were brought up as catholics or orthodox. I would *not* accept any non-Christian upbringing. In real life, this means that it is not necessary to marry someone with exactly the same faith as yourself. Dave quotes a passage from the New Testament which seems to suggest that the faith of one person in a marriage may even save the other person. If God has truly made the couple "one flesh", then they can hardly be taken apart even after the resurrection. But marrying a person with a strong faith in a different religion is almost always a big mistake. Ake Eldberg