Child's Religion in Inter-religion marriage?

[johmars]

Hi,

I'm a Christian and my wife's a Hindu. We have recently had a baby girl and since then we have been fighting over her religion all the time. My wife wants to raise the child in both the religions. Since I'm a believer of Jesus, I want to raise the child as a Christian but at the same time respect people of other religion. I don't want my marriage to end but at the same time I don't want to give up on my beliefs and bring up the kid teaching Hindu beliefs. My wife is a strong Hindu follower so she doesn't/want to understand the christian way even if I tell her.

I'm so confused and stressed out on how to handle this situation. Please advise.

Thank you.

 

[Albion]

If she is that adamant and inflexible, there may not be a solution.

However, I think your best approach would be to seek the advice of a Christian priest or minister in India where the problem you describe must have arisen many times before with other couples.

It may be that he would know what has worked for other families or, conversely, that it never does work out unless the child and the Christian parent compromise their Christian faith in some way or other...which is something you are not about to do.

 

[crossnote]

I don't want my marriage to end but at the same time I don't want to give up on my beliefs and bring up the kid teaching Hindu beliefs. My wife is a strong Hindu follower so she doesn't/want to understand the christian way even if I tell her.

I take it she was Hindu when you married her?
If so, it sounds like you gave up some of your beliefs when you married. Now that that compromise is done it is probably best to allow the child to learn both, pray for the child (and your wife) that both will eventually come to faith.

 

[mkgal1]

My wife wants to raise the child in both the religions. Since I'm a believer of Jesus, I want to raise the child as a Christian but at the same time respect people of other religion.

It seems to me that the best way to teach your child how to respect people of other religions (such as your own wife/your daughter's mother) would be for your daughter to LEARN about both faiths.

I'd guess that there are common denominators - such as "God is love" and that we are to love others and have respect and compassion for everyone. Maybe those would be the mutual standards for you and your wife to focus on? And then your daughter can learn the different ways that people honor, worship, and glorify God's characteristics. I don't believe it's our job to indoctrinate our children - but to raise them in a way where they can learn to make their own choices.

 

[johmars]

It seems to me that the best way to teach your child how to respect people of other religions (such as your own wife/your daughter's mother) would be for your daughter to LEARN about both faiths.

Yes, but the Bible says Idol worship is not acceptable as well and Hinduism is idol worship. So if I allow the child to learn both, doesn't it mean I'm committing a sin?

 

[johmars]

Thank you all for your advice! Really appreciate it.

 

[grandvizier1006]

Yes, but the Bible says Idol worship is not acceptable as well and Hinduism is idol worship. So if I allow the child to learn both, doesn't it mean I'm committing a sin?

I don't think it's a sin to let your child learn about something that is important to many people in the country your family lives in. However, the fact that you married a Hindu woman means that your child could grow up with mixed messages regarding faith. Christianity is considered factual and true by its believers, whereas Hinduism, as you probably know, consists of a myriad of beliefs that are not required to be "true" in an objective sense, and are instead just part of a culture and community. So your child will have to seriously think about that as she grows up and decides what she believes.

In my opinion you should never have married this woman, but I also understand that it could be hard to find another Christian woman suitable for marrying in a country like India.

 

[mkgal1]

Yes, but the Bible says Idol worship is not acceptable as well and Hinduism is idol worship. So if I allow the child to learn both, doesn't it mean I'm committing a sin?

I'm not understanding how you feel so strongly about this, but still married someone that's Hindi?

In order to teach our children to respect those that are of different faiths - we have to teach them that there are different expressions of faith to God. There's only ONE God (you agree, right, johmars?) it's just that people express their worship differently (as I see it).....when it's expressions of genuine love and respect for others.

I see idolatry as things like placing materialistic things and power as top priority over genuine love. For instance......when people choose a church based on what it will do for their status or business (I'd consider THAT idolatry - because it's not truly based on worship and loyalty to God - it's self serving and based on greed or lust for power).

I think this couple does a great job at raising their children in a interfaith marriage:

 

[longwait]

Hi,

I'm a Christian and my wife's a Hindu. We have recently had a baby girl and since then we have been fighting over her religion all the time. My wife wants to raise the child in both the religions. Since I'm a believer of Jesus, I want to raise the child as a Christian but at the same time respect people of other religion. I don't want my marriage to end but at the same time I don't want to give up on my beliefs and bring up the kid teaching Hindu beliefs. My wife is a strong Hindu follower so she doesn't/want to understand the christian way even if I tell her.

I'm so confused and stressed out on how to handle this situation. Please advise.

Thank you.

Yes, but the Bible says Idol worship is not acceptable as well and Hinduism is idol worship. So if I allow the child to learn both, doesn't it mean I'm committing a sin?

That's the problem with inter-religion marriage. Once the baby comes there will be disagreement not only between the child's parents but also between their grandparents on the faith that the child should follow. And in a nation like India their relatives and society will also get involved. That's why God strongly prohibited marrying pagans in the Old Testament. See how king Solomon's pagan wives lured him to worship their pagan idol gods and that eventually led to his downfall. At the same time now that you are married to her you are not to divorce her. You need to sort it out yourself. My only advice to you is do not compromise your faith in Jesus. No way, even if she decides to leave you for that.

 

[johmars]

Thank you for all your advice. I'm going to leave it to her on how she wants to raise our baby. I don't want to get involved in it just to avoid all the fights which will eventually end badly. I know I will fail as a father of not talking about Jesus to our baby but I'm going to pray for them both that they eventually come to faith.

 

[aiki]

Hi,

I'm a Christian and my wife's a Hindu. We have recently had a baby girl and since then we have been fighting over her religion all the time. My wife wants to raise the child in both the religions. Since I'm a believer of Jesus, I want to raise the child as a Christian but at the same time respect people of other religion.

Well, if you believe what the Bible says, your wife is headed for hell. Ought you to respect a religion that helps take her there, that has blinded her to the saving truth of the Gospel? Do you want the same end for your child? Hinduism is a counterfeit religion, it is has led millions - perhaps billions, now - to an eternity separated from God. Why would you want your child to have anything to do with such a belief system? You ought to respect other people but you are not obligated to respect their false and destructive beliefs.

I don't want my marriage to end but at the same time I don't want to give up on my beliefs and bring up the kid teaching Hindu beliefs. My wife is a strong Hindu follower so she doesn't/want to understand the christian way even if I tell her.

Yes, well, does this impasse surprise you? It seems to me that you would have seen the possibility of this problem a long way off...

Both your wife and your child need Christ. Capitulating to your wife's Hindu beliefs is not the way to see her or your child come to a saving faith in the Saviour. Stick to your guns. You must not yield on this matter. It is far too important.