RELATIONSHIP

5 Disadvantages and Problems of Marrying Someone from the opposite Religion (Interfaith)

An inter-religion marriage or interfaith relationship is a union between two individuals with a different religious background. The man could be a Muslim, while the woman could be a Christian. The advantages of interfaith and interreligious marriages is that it promotes peace and tolerance. Moreso, it can be a great way to promote peace between different communities.

No matter who you marry, you’re going to marry someone with some sort of difference in background, religion, culture or values. No two people are alike.

And what if your partner is from the opposite religion and their fate differs from yours? Can such a marriage work? Of course, yes, but there will be some problems along the way. Nevertheless, if the couples are ready to work together to build their home, the marriage will definitely work, and they will live together happily for life. Here are some of the major disadvantages and problems of marrying someone from the opposite religion.

Problems of Marrying Someone from the opposite Religion:

1. Disunity.

Religion is a way of life, and it provides ways to view the world. The way you view things may differ from how your spouse sees them, especially if their faith contradicts yours. This can bring disunity to the family, and in a marriage where there is no unity, there will be problems.

2. They May Convince You to Convert to Their Religion or Faith.

According to African culture, a woman is expected to practice her husband’s religion. So what happens if the husband is of the opposite religion? He will try to convince the woman to convert or force her to practice his faith. This action can lead to constant fights and arguments in the marriage, which may affect the couple’s happiness and spiritual growth.

To overcome this problem, allow your spouse to practice their religion in peace while you practice yours. You can still build a happy marriage and a beautiful family regardless of your religious differences.

3. How Your Kids Will Be Raised.

Raising your kids can be challenging when parents are from the opposite religion. The kids may be confused about which path to follow, and this may also affect their spiritual growth. Your children may decide to practice their mother’s religion, which you might not agree with totally and vice versa.

To overcome this problem, talk with your spouse and come up with an agreement on which religion and faith you are going to raise your kids. You can bring up the idea of allowing your kids to choose for themselves which religion they want to follow. This way, there won’t be problems in the union.

4. Different Doctrines.

Marrying someone of the opposite religion can be a significant challenge due to different doctrines. Every religion or faith has its own doctrines and manner of prayer, and the sad part is that your spouse’s religious doctrines may seem irritating to you because you were not brought up that way and neither did you believe in their faith.

For example, your spouse may believe in using water as a channel of prayer and communication with God, while you believe in using beads to pray and communicate with God. The diversity in religious doctrines can cause problems in your marriage.

To overcome this problem, see your spouse’s religion as your religion, respect their faith and belief. Pray together, go to church together, attend Jumat with them, and celebrate every festive period together. Let the love you have for your partner be greater than the religious differences. When you love your partner’s religion, there will be less misunderstanding in the marriage, and you will be happy together.

5. Lack of Support from Family.

Family members may refuse to assist you when you need their help because you chose to marry someone from the opposite religion, which may be against their approval. Perhaps if your family has threatened to disown you for intermarriage, it will be difficult for you to nurture your own family without their support.

To overcome this problem, you should seek your family and parents’ consent if your spouse is of the opposite religion. Talk to them and appeal for them to allow you to marry your choice of man or woman. Lack of support from family can be a great setback in building a successful marriage.

Can Interreligious or Interfaith Marriage Ever Work?

Yes, inter-religion and interfaith marriage could work only if the people involved are ready to put their differences aside, join hands together, and build their home regardless of the differences between them. Remember, religion is a way of life, but humanity should always come before religion.

Two of my sisters are married to people of the opposite religion, and they’ve been living together peacefully with their husbands without problems. Making a marriage or relationship work is up to you and your partner. If you both love one another, I don’t think religion should be a barrier stopping you from marrying them.

How does inter-religious marriage work?

To make an interfaith or interreligious marriage and relationship work, start by respecting your spouse’s faith and beliefs. Perhaps tolerance is part of love. You must be ready to love your partner and their religion. Respect their faith; never attack them or force your faith on them. Let them know that you love them more than any religion.

In conclusion, marrying someone from the opposite religion can be a great problem for young couples, but all these problems can still be avoided through open and honest conversations. Sometimes, you and your partner should sit down and talk about how you will both manage your religious differences without problems in the future.

Talk about how you are going to raise your kids and which religion to adopt when you get married together. Allow them to practice their faith in peace while you practice yours. These are the simple ways to avoid problems in your marriage and build a happy family when you marry someone from the opposite religion.