My Faith for Your Love

A couple broke up because they each belong to different faiths. The girl claimed that her family is very strict about their church's requirement of marrying someone who holds the same beliefs. And because the guy was reluctant to undergo religious conversion, the girl eventually found someone else who was willing.

It would appear that an individual's fidelity to his particular faith is only as strong as his family ties. We are often driven to engage in these traditional practices mostly out of love and respect for our parents. And they in turn, observe these same practices out of respect for theirs. Keeping one's faith it would seem can be a matter of filial piety and not merely of personal conviction.

Religion is a formalization of the values we hold. It provides a clear rationalization for what we deem as right and wrong, good or bad. To illustrate this point, the Ten Commandments is an embodiment of such values that christians in general strive to follow.

When it comes to whether a relationship will last, the more similarities that a couple has the better the chances. In fact, a couple can still get along even when they have differing personalities. If the love is strong enough, such differences may be overlooked. Romantic partners may even be moved to adjust to each other in order to make the relationship work. But it may not be that simple when they possess different values. And because religion is the manifestation of such values, people who have different faiths may not be that compatible when they enter into a relationship.

Taking this one step further, what would happen if people who have different faiths marry? If they do retain their original religious affiliations, which worship service will they attend? The situation can perhaps become even more complicated when they eventually have children. Will this set up not cause confusion?

I am reminded of the Old Testament story of how King Solomon lost favor with God because some of his wives moved him to worship other gods. Perhaps this is one reason why intermarriage between people of different religions is often discouraged.

Should a person trade his faith in exchange for love? We ought to keep in mind that romantic love is an earthly concern. But a person's beliefs are his own. They are what defines his life's purpose and the meaning of his existence. And his beliefs form the very essence of his soul.

But whether it is right to exchange these convictions for another person's love is entirely up to the individual making this decision. However, I also believe that this is not the right question to ask. It may be wiser to answer this instead: Will their love for each other bring them closer to God?