Can a devout religious person have a successful relationship with one who has no

1. 84

   eveklofposted 18 months ago

   Can a devout religious person have a successful relationship with one who has no religious beliefs?
   
   No matter how tolerant or open a partner is willing to be, whether they are extremely devout or totally without, can two people live successfully as partners if there is such a fundamental disconnect as a belief in god?

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2. 88

   RTalloniposted 18 months ago

   No. The imbalance will create conflicts that will destroy the things that make a relationship what it should be. The moral compasses and values, world views and views on the importance of how personal commitment in a relationship needs to work out will clash in subtle ways that become not-so-subtle over time.
   
   At best, a deep and abiding sadness will set in for the one who believes that God exists. At worst, well, it's too sad to detail here. 
   The definitions of important concepts and issues will become larger than such a pair can imagine when they are in the throes of the emotion-filled happy, heady early days of a young relationship.

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3. 91

   tamarawilhiteposted 18 months ago

   You should share the same views on children, family, faith and finances if you want a successful long term relationship.
   For example, you can't have a good marriage/partnership if one wants to spend all the money and another is a saver. One who wants to work minimally and live in artistic poverty will drive one who wants to live a middle class life away. If one wants children and the other is against it, you risk divorce if she has a baby he doesn't want. If you hate his family, they will make your relationship miserable, and the man often eventually sides with his family over his wife. And that's not counting the horror when his relatives turn the children against you.
   Suppose the only issue is religious differences. Right now, you compromise on holidays. How do you raise children? Will you have them baptized or bar mitzvahed? What happens when a relative brings religion into discussion with the child?
   If your faith is important to you, it must be important to a long term partner or you are creating conflict likely to destroy the marriage. If it doesn't matter to you, convert or change to the other person's belief system so you're in alignment.

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4. 87

   dashingscorpioposted 18 months ago

   
   
   It really comes down to the individual's "must have" list!
   I grew up around a lot of households where women and children went to church each Sunday while men stayed home and watched football or did other things. It wasn't the end of the world!
   Looking back I guess it was as if one person had a hobby or interest in something while their mate didn't and both accepted it.
   Too often there's an "assumption" if someone is an atheist they have no morals or go around taking advantage of others  While at the same time others believe Christians talk about God 24/7 and go around judging people all day long who are not in agreement.
   Neither one of those have to be true.
   I think it's possible for couples to get along where one is religious and the other isn't as long as neither attempts to "change" the other.
   Two good people who get together who love and respect one another can make a relationship work. This explains why it's possible for interracial couples, intercultural couples, couples of different age ranges,  and those with different faiths can have successful marriages.
   Having said that it all comes down to each people's "must have" list when it comes choosing a mate for themselves. We're all entitled to have our own "mate selection process". Some people focus on education, income, career, religion, race, height, weight, and health habits....etc
   If having the same faith and amount of devotion to it is a "must have" {for you} then being with someone who doesn't share your beliefs and same amount of devotion is a bad choice for (you).
   People who are different from one another fall in love all the time.
   What matters is whether they accept each other's differences and beliefs. I have a friend who married a Mormon woman and a few years later (he) decided to convert on his own without any prodding.
   It's not unheard of for some secular people to convert to a religion.

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