Religion and Dating: How to Make An Interfaith Relationship Work

Falling in love with someone who adheres to a different religion doesn't mean that either you or your partner has to give up your own spiritual beliefs and religious associations. With the right outlook, you can make an interfaith relationship work no matter how different your views may be from the views of the one you love.

Trust Your Own Judgment

If asked, you could probably rattle off a plethora of reasons why you love your partner and why the two of you are simply perfect for one another. Unfortunately, your friends and family members may not view your relationship the same way. If your loved ones share the same religious background that you do, they are likely to experience some measure of religious bias against your partner. In extreme cases, this could result in your loved ones deliberately attempting to sabotage what you've worked so hard to build.

In situations like these, its crucial to trust your own judgment. Over time, the well-meaning advice of friends, family members and religious leaders can lead you to see fault in your partner where no fault exists--poisoning your relationship. Should the situation cause you intense emotional stress, you may wish to temporarily distance yourself from your loved ones to maintain your psychological health and your relationship.

Empathize With Your Partner

When your partner talks to you about his or her faith, keep an open mind and try to empathize. While you'd love for your partner to change his or her mind and convert, arguing vehemently over why you're right won't win your religion any brownie points. Consider the fact that your partner was raised to feel a certain way and is unlikely to stray from those basic beliefs as an adult. That does not mean that your partner doesn't love you or doesn't respect you, it simply means that your partner possesses a strong sense of loyalty. This is a positive thing as this same sense of loyalty is likely to apply to you and the relationship the two of you share.

Don't Avoid The Subject

If you and your significant other tiptoe around the issue of religion and avoid spiritual subjects altogether, you aren't doing yourself any favors. Your ultimate goal should be to reach a common ground with your loved one so that your differing spirituality is no longer a tender subject.

If you're considering marriage, discussing how your religious differences will impact your future is a must since the belief system each of you belongs to can impact everything from your wedding ceremony to how you intend to raise your children.

Share Each Other's Religious Customs and Practices

Good relationships are built on compromise. Never is that as important as it is with the interfaith couple. You can learn to compromise and appreciate each other's upbringing by attending religious services for both religions, observing each other's religious holidays and learning what you can about your partner's belief system. The most important aspect of this compromise, however, is that you do it together. Observing your religion on your own and leaving your significant other to observe his or her beliefs alone will serve no purpose but to drive a wedge between the two of you. By compromising, you can learn to appreciate the beauty of your loved one's religious beliefs and practices just as he or she will learn to value yours.

If you and your partner share an interfaith relationship, it can be tumultuous and stressful or a fantastic learning experience for both of you. As long as you allow yourself to see the person inside rather than the religion, you can learn to compromise while appreciating the new ideas your loved one brings to the relationship--making your bond to each other even stronger.