Links for couples who share different faith traditions
Read
Overview if at least one of you is
a member of the Catholic Church
then go to:
InterChurch
(both of you are Christians but different denominations)
InterFaith
(one is Christian one is not).
For Both InterChurch and InterFaith couples.
What about marriage to an
agnostic or atheist?
Overview: If one
of you is a Catholic and the other is a Protestant or Muslim or Jew,
you may be concerned about how the Catholic Church will look upon
your relationship if you choose to marry. Prior to 1964, the
Catholic Church tried to discourage such couples from marriage or
allowed the marriage to take place only if the partner who is not a
member of the Catholic Church agreed to raise the children in the
Catholic Faith. Today, however, the Catholic Church has
developed a new approach to couples who share different Faith
traditions. I trust you will find this approach to be
welcoming, understanding, and helpful. Key points of this new
approach:
-
The Catholic Church respects/affirms the conscience & beliefs of
each person. While the Catholic Church is open to membership to
all persons, the Church does not attempt to force anyone to
become Catholic when he/she plans to marry a Catholic.
-
The Catholic Church affirms the right & responsibility of a
Catholic parent to pass on his/her Faith to his/her children
within the unity of the marriage partnership; the Church
equally honors the right & responsibility of the partner who is
not a member of the Catholic Church to do the same. The partner
who is not a member of the Catholic Church is not
required to promise to raise the children in the Catholic Faith.
-
The marriage can be celebrated in either the church of
the bride or the church of the groom. This decision is
customarily settled by choosing the "church of the bride."
There may be good reasons ~ for example, if a Catholic marries a
Jew ~ to celebrate the marriage in a "neutral" setting. The
Catholic may request permission for these arrangements from
his/her bishop.
-
The ceremony will depend upon where the marriage takes place.
If it takes place in a Catholic Church, the Catholic rite of
marriage would be used. If it takes place in a Baptist church,
the Baptist minister would use the Baptist rite of marriage.
-
If the marriage takes place in a Catholic Church, ordinarily the
marriage rite would not include the Eucharistic
(Communion Service) because this could be a divisive element.
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Section 1: Interchurch" couples. Both persons are
Christian, but different denominations, such as, Catholic-Baptist.
- Two Churches, One Marriage A free web-based program that can assist couple to explore the challenges and rewards of interchurch marriage.
-
Interchurch Families and their Quest for Unity
by Ray & Fenella Temmerman
-
InterChurch:
Christian & Christian link. Note esp. "sacramental resources."
-
InterChurch/InterFaith
Marriage. The Chapter on this topic from For Better and
For Ever.
-
National Association of
InterChurch & InterFaith Families
A new site with excellent material/information.
-
NIMMA: InterChurch site in
Northern Ireland.
-
Ideas for ceremonies in a variety of faith traditions, also
interchurch and interfaith weddings
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Section
2: "interfaith" couples. One person is Christian, the
other person is Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist, etc.
-
InterFaith:
Dovetail Institute. Christian & Jew/Muslim/Buddhist link for
marriage & raising children interfaith.
-
InterChurch/InterFaith
Marriage. The Chapter on this topic from For Better and
For Ever.
-
National Association of
InterChurch & InterFaith Families
A new site with excellent material/information.
-
Ideas for ceremonies in a variety of faith traditions, also
interchurch and interfaith weddings
-
-
Planning a
Jewish-Christian marriage
-
Islamic guide for
non-Muslims who would like to understand Islam, Muslims
(Moslems), and the Holy Quran (Koran).
-
Want to know more
about Buddhism? A reading list...
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-
World Religions: Resources
-
Information about Christianity:
by Mary Henderson,
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Section 4: What about
marriage to an agnostic or atheist?
I am assuming that we are talking about an "interfaith" (sort of!)
marriage in which one person identifies with a faith tradition (is
Christian, Jew, Muslim, etc.) and the other person is an agnostic or
atheist. If both of you are agnostics or atheists, all I
can say is that I am not qualified to advise you.
Here are some links to information about what it means to be an
agnostic or an atheist. I recommend that both of you
thoroughly study this information (and any other information you can
find that may be better than what is on these web sites)....and then
use the process of dialogue ~ as taught in For Better and For
Ever ~ to see if you can construct a viable lifelong marriage in
which each of you is willing/able to accept who the other person is
and be willing to live your personal convictions while making no
attempt to change the other person to your way of
thinking/believing.
In addition to making a commitment to respect your differences, you
also need to dialogue about how you will deal with the
formation/education of your children.
If you can sort all of this out......you may do fine in marriage.
What is an Agnostic?
What is an Atheist?
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