One of the most beautiful weddings I ever attended was a combination of a Jewish husband and his Catholic bride. (To incorporate both faiths, the ceremony was quite long! But I was a guest, not a participant. It was their wedding, they could do as they liked.) After the ceremony I joked with the new couple about celebrating the holidays, asking them which ones they choose to observe. They laughed and said ”all of them.” While devout in their faiths, they loved each other and were willing to come to an agreement on how to worship and raise their children before walking down the aisle.
The children would be taught both faiths, and although born ”half Jewish,” they would be free to choose which faith to follow as they got older.This may seem like a non-traditional way to raise children and run a home, but they had a plan, and foresaw no problems.
The fact of the matter is that people of different faiths marry all the time now, very unlike it used to be, when marriage between different faiths was unheard of. Then again, there was a time when marriages were typically arraigned by the parents of both parties, so the entire concept of pairing by faith has come a long way. Perhaps the downside of this is that most people don’t practice their religions as traditionally as we used to. If that is the case, then it’s no wonder that inter faith marriages have become more common.
Maybe you find your spouse all that much more attractive for their separate belief system, there is much that can be learned from each other with respect to different types of mediation and prayer. Festivals and family holidays can be especially fun for everyone involved with the melting of two different types of observance, and this is definitely the upside.
The need for mutual respect in such matters is paramount. If your husband prays many times a day as a observance of his religion, you must make sure that you are tolerant and respectful, and if your wife goes to confession three times a week, that’s her business. You must be able to allow your spouse to continue to observe their faith as openly as they choose. This is the key to a happy inter faith marriage.
Another consideration is the open mindedness to attend each other’s services occasionally, if it is appropriate. This lends itself to a greater understanding of your spouse and their belief systems, and we could all benefit from becoming open minded on the subject of faith, especially today when all people need to be able to see the similarities rather than the differences in each other.
The important aspect of interfaith marriage is that all religions teach you to love one another, and if the couple can keep this in mind during the marriage, no arguments based on faith need happen. If the two of you can stay focused on the fact that you married out of love, your faith shouldn’t play a part in your union, only enrich the experience.