Different religions and marriage!?

Thank you for your question.

It is possible but it takes a lot of work! You should know that this is one of the most prevalent causes of marriages not working out. This is the reason I usually discourage it. But it can also be the basis of a wonderful life together if each of you is willing to be very flexible. Without really knowing both of you it is hard to say.

I would suggest that you decide how you will raise your children beforeyou get married. Then you really should stick to it.

I would also recommend a long engagement and, of course, no sex before you get married.

Also, there are many misconceptions that have been voiced in other answers. First of all, there is no rule that a muslim man must kill a wife if she does not convert to Islam. The emperor Akbar, in India, had a HIndu wife (among others) and did not ask, much less force, her to convert.

Also the statement that the Muslim bloodline goes through the mother is false. As far as I know this is true in Judaism but it is not true in Islam.

Peace and Blessings,

Salim

Depends on how the two can get along with each other and manage their families. I have a friend, a Southern Baptist, who is married to a Catholic lady. The families did not attend the wedding and hate each other, even to this day (25 years). My friend and his wife get along great. They became Methodists. They have three children. The grandparents have time-sharing with the grandchildren. Neither set of grandparents are supposed to discuss religion or badmouth the other side. If that happens their rights are cut off for the next visit. Funny but it works.

At least you did not pose the scenario to be a muslim girl and a christian guy (as Islam follows a mother's bloodline)!

How close are the two with their respective families? If reasonably close, then having one convert to the other's religious tradition may be the only way to bring peace to one side. . .and respect/acceptance to the other.

And this couple would be naive if they believed their personal bonds were strong enough to overcome all obstacles. . .with one of the biggest ones being "children". . .for this is when the families intervene!

(I speak from experience. . .as a christian male with a Jewish spouse. . .and two small boys.)

At the heart of all religions they share the universal truth of love, peace, unity, and tolerance. If they love each other and are willing to compromise with each other and strive to see the love and beauty and peace and unity and learn the tolerance their faith teaches...then yes I do think it would work out.

However if they allow their egos to get in the way (example: "I" am a Muslim. "I" am a Christian.) then whatever love they may have in their heart will not be able to shine through. The ego will get in the way. True love peels away at the layers of the ego (which is a central teaching in all religions) and if they all themselves to love each other and to view themselves as One rather than as seperate egos (thus define themselves outside of themselves) then they can work through any differences.

"Even if love has a worldly touch in the beginning, it can reach the highest peak of purity if it becomes one-pointed and selfless." Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Hindu "hugging saint")

"There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God. I've always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic." Mother Teresa of Kolkatta

According to all the world's sacred text Love is the essence of the Divine. Or to put in the simplest of words that many of the texts do: God is love. Therefore if we act on love and not on ego, we are acting in God. If we learn to treat one another with the same respect, dignity, and devotion that we do to God...learn to see God in them...then that love that two people have for each other can be overcome because they have shed the ego's concern for titles and labels and allowed themselves to transcend to be a couple that honors God through loving each other.

That's my humble opinion.

Peace be with you.

Probably not. Families exert more influence than we like to give them credit for in the age of the "nuclear family". Prejudices will hide deep down inside and wait for the appropriate moment to surface. The families will use that moment and exploit it for all that it's worth - not that they're consciously aware that they're doing that. Instead it will be a parent "looking out for the best for their child... because they care".

Nope. Not unless you disown your family and moved to never never land. It would be really hard for the both of you. Either of you planning on converting to the others religion? That would be the only way it could possibly work, but I could never leave My God and my faith. Good luck.

Uhhh....no.

There are enough difficulities when two people begin a life together that adding different religions to the mix only reduces the chances for a successful marriage.

I think that if they really loved eachother and tried really hard, there might be a chane for them. howaver, christians are taght in the bible not to marry a woman unless she is of the same beleif. personally, i think that a christian and a jew would work great together.

I am from Turkey and Muslim. In Turkey there are many men married to foreign women living in Turkey. And there are women married to foreign men living abroad and also in Turkey! The matter is about if you are marrying to him or his family, or he is marrying to you or your family. Love is greater than and above everything. It is lie who says it will be easy, sure! If you feel strong enough, it is OK.

It could, but it wouldn't be easy. They'd have to fight hard to get their family to respect the new family members, and they might not win that fight. They'd have to place each other higher than what their family thought, and some families would disown them.