I was wondering, what do you all think of inter-faith dating?
Is it 2 Corinthians 6:14 (�Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?�) or 1 Corinthians 7:12-14 ("If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband.�)
The inspiration for my question comes from the following link: http://www.doctornerdlove.com/2011/10/ask-dr-nerdlove-losing-my-religion/
Alright, fair's fair. Personally, I think it's a pretty novel idea and I don't see why we should limit who we love and how much we love them based on religion, but am still very open minded and receptive to the perspective of my Christian brothers and sisters.
Also, for what it's worth, I love Paul and our fellow Corinthian brothers and sisters who have gone before us for inspiring him to write those letters to them which edifies all of us in Christ and how to perfect our Love. Especially Paul though, for being such an amazing, mind blowing champion for God. Idk, I'm just really feeling it tonight. What do ya'll think?
Your question takes me back to the question I asked Joy and then posted it to the guys column. The question was: "Will she be willing to wait upon a fellow who has all her values/requirements from a possible mate if the brother was only lacking salvation, if at all the second alternative whose saved, still didn't have all of what she needed from her life time partner but only few qualities?"
The question of "being willing to wait" came forth coz I knew that we cannot have a marriage relationship with an unbelieving partner unless one of the two got saved after they were married and are able to live peacefully with each other after the other one has been saved which is very rare that's why God through the apostle Paul came with an altinative of 'leaving' if the unbelieving is unable to live peacefully with the saved part.
There's a very thin line friendship. We're not only focusing on two individuals who are in love, we're rather looking at all areas of life. We talking two different kingdoms here, how can there be peace when both are trying to win over the other part? Your unbelieving partner surely wants to win you over to evil through the energies operating in her. She may not even be ware that she's being used as a tool, but you know these things coz God has given you light through Christ.
Same goes with you. Most probably you'll want nothing more than seeing your partner being saved,.. Right? Whose the nearest tool for God to use to win her? Its you through behavior and how you'll be shining God's light around her.
Since this is the case, what chances are there that you'll get along? This is far beyond being in love. Its a spiritual battle were you can't even tell her that she's a lost soul, you are in the right kingdom. That alone will stir a fight that will make you lose her unless willing to compromise your values in Christ to keep her.
It's a big NO! While we may have them as friends, we should be careful of having them as spouse, although some people still do this, I have seen many cases like this in my country, especially with people of other religion.
I believe a believer's faith is important above everything else, but quite unfortunate that we sometimes succumb to the whims of emotion, and that is where I advocate for being in Christ and having a deep relationship with God, as against just being a Christian and practicing religion. Our relationship with Christ helps us to stand strong above emotions, although not easy, very possible.
I would say that its not a good idea. Look at the old testament for examples. Solomon, the "wisest" man, was pretty foolish when it came to women, and it led him away from God. Paul is talking about married people who are converted and their spouse is not, and in the context of christian marriage, he is saying that it's not safe to marry a unbeliever, although maybe not impossible. Their goals and desires will not be your goals and desires, and when it comes to children, there will be confusion. God wants godly people to have godly children. He wants people who know Him to teach Him to their children. And I know there is a big "let the child decide" movement as well. I'm not talking about brainwashing your kids, you should always raise them with freedom. I was raised that way and it is definitely the healthiest. I do not adhere to all of my parents viewpoints, but I saw their unity and relationship with God, and among other things, it inspired me to find out why they had things that many in the world do not have. Having conflicting moral landmarks does not sound healthy, and I would presume a child would have less of a chance of finding a solid pathway. Not impossible, but I would say that it's unwise.
My girlfriend and I are not from the same denomination and we believe differently on some things, but our "characters" are extremely similar, and we've had no problems. So there is something more important than simply believing everything the same, but don't go too far away from what God promotes. Think of God as a wise protector who knows the best way, and try to follow Him as best you can. Anything else is dangerous for your soul to some degree.
I think it would be so sad to love someone who didn't love my Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture says that those who don't love God are His enemies. To think that my love wouldn't be in eternity with me and the Lord . . . I don't think that's a good recipe for a solid or lasting relationship.
A yoke is something that is used in farming. A yoke is a device that holds two (ex) oxen together. Without the yoke your plow can only be pulled with the power of one ox, but when you yoke two oxen together your one plow can be pulled with the strength of two oxen.
So what would it actually look like if you yoked 1 ox and one wild horse together (I kind of would not like to see the out come!) If you did that you might end up having two animals with broken necks...maby not because they "hate" each other but because they both will use there strength to pull in separate directions.
If a Christian wants to be yoked together with another person that is not striving to become more like GOD...then I am going to question the motives and desires of the "Christian"
A Christian is going to pull in the direction of becoming more like JESUS (not JESUS and 50 different other "good ideas") because JESUS is not one god that is equal to other gods or ideas. JESUS is the one true GOD and there is nothing/no one like HIM.