What happens when an agnostic falls in love with a Christian?
Interfaith dating: What happens when an atheist falls in love with a Christian? "For our second date, we opted for a movie followed by dinner. It was just after the entrees arrived that TD mentioned casually that he was a Christian and attended a church near my neighborhood in Brooklyn. I grew up thinking Christianity was something for "the other people"—red staters, conservatives, people who owned guns. If you did grow up in the Church, it was something you cast off as you became educated and matured. But here, sitting at the table across from me, was someone who was both of these things and still avowed his faith."
Advice for dating someone of a different religion.
Religion has never played a large part in my life. I grew up celebrating "Christian" holidays like Easter and Christmas, but in America, these days are so mainstreamed and commercialized, they almost seem secular. I've never minded not having a religion, and I like the fact that because I'm a blank religious slate, I can approach new religions without prior assumption. I've learned Hindu traditions while in India, marveled at the Muslim mosques while in Indonesia, caroled in a Carmelite monastery, and recently visited a Zen Buddhist center for meditation.
Religion and relationships: interfaith dating, sex and spirituality, dating and more.
Religion, faith and spiritualiy are essential components of a relationship—or are they? Religion is a fraught topic in today's society, and YourTango wants to help answer your questions about interfaith relationships, conversion, sex and religion, dating someone of a different faith, spirituality and religion within marriage and other questions. Check out our stories below to learn more about the intersection of love, sex and religion.
A Muslim woman gave up her past to provide her family with a future.
Is religion an essential factor to the foundation of a strong family? Torang Sepah tells the story of how love brought her to a new spirituality. "Six months after we married, we began discussing the idea of conversion. Ron and I had both been raised in secular homes, and he felt connected to Judaism on a cultural, rather than religious, level. I, on the other hand, have never really felt tied to Islam. I believe in gay marriage—and I believe that a woman can do anything a man can do. I don’t think there’s a lot of room in Islam for liberal, or even moderate, viewpoints. With Judaism, I felt like there was still a way for me to be progressive. Though Ron told me early on that he didn’t need me to change religions, I decided I wanted to convert—for love, and for the family we would raise."
Amy Sohn's parents took the long way to loving her hubby.
The husband and the in-laws—they can be a combustible combination. Introducing your boyfriend to your parents and family is difficult no matter what, especially if you're Jewish and he's not and your parents don't want you marrying a goy. But interfaith marriage doesn't have to be all bad, as Amy Sohn learned. In this excerpt from her book Altared, Amy shares her personal account of finding the one and then trying to sell him to her parents.
