what does

[billybillybilly]

What does the bible say about marrying someone of a diferent religion. For example, Im baptist but my girlfriend is catholic, and we are really in love with each other and want to get married. Is it right to get married?

 

[bunced]

Firstly, that's the same religion - both are Christianity. Secondly, all Christians should be together in unity so it's fine

Just make sure you are able to talk through important issues like - where you'll worship; whether you want any kids to be baptised at birth or given the choice of believer's baptism; which denomination you will bring the kids up in; etc.

If you can do that - fine. If you can't - I think you both need to improve on your skills of communication for the relationship to work anyway

 

[Sketcher]

As far as I'm concerned, if you can't worship together, you're unequally yoked.

 

[sandman]

God doesn’t say anything about different religions ……………….God wants everyone to be like-minded on His Word …… not divided on man made religion.
If you are both serious about your beliefs you will have issues with this …I can promise you that.
I was raised an RC, and I am pretty failure with many of the Baptist beliefs; there is definitely conflicting issues between the two …..and what about kids. I know right now the issues may seem insignificant but it will be a problem down the line.
In the words of TS

As far as I'm concerned, if you can't worship together, you're unequally yoked.

That is where I stand on this also ….
I am not trying to put a damper on your relationship, but I have seen this type of situation to many times become a problem

 

[CShephard53]

Baptist and Catholic are fairly far apart in their doctrines, nevermind worship style in most cases. That you're asking about it raises a red flag in my book.

 

[HolyHeart]

I've been in your exact situation before. I had been going to a baptist church and basically a baptist and was in a relationship with someone who was Catholic. There were things in his beliefs that I disagreed with and things in mine he disagreed with. When we really sat down and discussed it, thinking about the future together...where to attend church, how to raise kids, how to work it all out, ect. we found there were many issues and areas of disagreement. Neither of us wanted to give up our beliefs, so it just didn't work out (there were other issues that led to it not working out..not just this though).
I think that you have to sit down and seriously discuss this. It will become an issue and if it's not talked about from the start there will be problems later. I guess if you can find a way to make it work to where neither of you are trying to force your beliefs on the other and it doesn't hinder your walk with God, then I guess it's ok. But, from experience, I know that you can't expect someone to do things contrary to their beliefs (I had someone trying to force me to do things his way according to his beliefs not mine)..it doesn't work..only creates problems. I guess you just have to let them have their beliefs and they have to let you have yours and you have to somehow find a middle ground with things.

 

[Apollo Celestio]

As far as I'm concerned, if you can't worship together, you're unequally yoked.

Sounds about right to me. You might have to make some compromises or something..

 

[heymikey80]

What does the bible say about marrying someone of a diferent religion. For example, Im baptist but my girlfriend is catholic, and we are really in love with each other and want to get married. Is it right to get married?

The Bible says to marry "in the Lord". (2 Cor 6:14, cf 1 cor 7:39b) Talk with other spiritual counselors, your church elders for instance, about whether your girlfriend actually believes in the Lord. Religion isn't reliance. Church affiliation isn't faith.

Faith in Christ alone is what matters.

 

[visionary]

I did marry a RRC and he worked hard at his religion. It was his salvation. He could not understand talking to God, one on one. His church did talked to God for him.

He tried to go to church with me, and learn what the bible says. He did understand and studied hard. But he could not make it real in his own heart, and he kept looking at the church to do it for him. He trusted the church, the ministers, and did not have a personal relationship with God. The theology of it all, he accepted. But he stated that he was empty inside. It ate away at his soul.

Bottom line.... Is his and your faith real and how real is it? If both of you are at the same level of a relationship with God, then God can take you both on the same path. If one of you does not have that relationship and depend on man, institutions more, then the conflicts will begin.

 

[WarEagle]

What does the bible say about marrying someone of a diferent religion. For example, Im baptist but my girlfriend is catholic, and we are really in love with each other and want to get married. Is it right to get married?

As a Baptist, I can't see marrying a Roman Catholic. For one thing, I would always be an outsider to her church and never allowed to take communion or participate in the ordinances there.

For another, what if we had kids? The Roman Catholic church would make her vow to raise them as Roman Catholics and, given the many Unbiblical doctrines of Roman Catholicism, I couldn't do that. I'd be negligent in my duties as a father.

Third, what would we do when we had a disagreeement about important spiritual matters? We would answer to two different authorities: me to the authority of God's word, she to the authority of the men who run her church.

How could I fulfil my role as spiritual leader, when her church teaches that I'm a heretic? Likewise, how could she submit to my leadership when she's following a religion that tells her she's being disobedient to God by doing so?

There are just so many Unbiblical doctrines in Roman Catholicism that I have no choice to consider them about as "Christian" as Mormonism. I can't tell you who to marry, but I don't see anything but trouble marrying a Roman Catholic and I certainly don't think you can make a Biblical case for it.

Don't be unequally yoked.

 

[JDIBe]

There is a saying, "Opposites attract, but similars stay together".

If you are both serious about your relationship with God, there will be nothing but trouble for you in the future. Your children WILL be raised Roman Catholic. You will have to decide when and where to go to church. You may not have support of your spouse (or she may not have yours) during a "spiritual crisis". One of the beautiful things about marrying someone of your own beliefs is that you can help each other through the down times and you can each understand what the other is going through. If you can't agree on church, it removes part of the glue that holds you together.

Now, all of this is meaningless if religion really isn't that important in your lives. If you really don't care where you go, it will probably be ok.

Regardless, you REALLY need to sit down with her and talk about this. There is a tendency for people in love to take a "It will all work out..." attitude. Sometimes it does. Quite often it does not. Both of you really need to know how each other feels NOW. The answers may surprise both of you. It's possible neither of you have even seriously thought about it that much.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I really do wish both of you well. It's just that it's really hard to make a rational decision about such things this far down the road...