Close relationships can create highly emotional situations where one's core beliefs can come into question, as with politics, family, or other major personal issues. Are you so certain of your standpoint that you would be willing to give up the relationship if it became a dividing issue? How would you tolerate this difference if you remained in the relationship? (What level of meaning do you give religion in your life?)
Discuss
dennis ilic on May 8, 2008, 7:25 PM
If my wife was a selfish materilistic shallow person, I would not stay in the relationship.
She is not religious or deeply spiritual. However, she is a loving, grounded person that believes in art, expression, and creation. She also believes, and this is key with me, that we are not the end all, be all, of the universe. She tolerates all my crazy thoughts and I respect her being by not taking her places she doesn’t need to go.
Love and Peace to all the wives that tolerate us.
Musycks on May 11, 2008, 2:36 AM
My wife of 30 years!! (time flies).. is an a la carte catholic.. she cherry picks the bits she likes. I can wind her up about the detail if I’m feeling mischievous, but she has no appetite for that debate. (that’s why I’m here!)
For her it’s cultural, from her family, and she maintainsd that tradition because she feels it’s the right thing to do.. I try to stay out of the religious side of her life, she wanted to marry in a church (bloody nuptial mass no less!)….. sends our daughter to catholic schools and got her christened and had first holy communion.
All of this is with my blessing, I figure my wife is happy in her delusion, she is a wonderful person who does no harm, as the majority of faithful (and atheists) are.
My daughter at least is growing up in the knowledge that non-belief is an option, and that’s more than I ever had.
I just would like a world where our children are not lied to and thinking people made complicit in the lie, by not wanting to rock the boat.
sciencesaves on May 20, 2008, 8:32 AM
RO, Thanks for the input, My wife is similar to musycks, and we are in almost identical relationships, that’s why we connect. Rational women are few and far between, so you’ve done well in that department!
musycks, No surprises, I fully appreciate the situation, and value your insight. Love will conquer all!
HZ, Yes, how the hell do they tolerate us, anyway? I would have given up on me years ago. It must be love. BC is right!
Musycks on May 22, 2008, 12:47 AM
quick story.. back when I was a Xtian.. I had a roadie in the band who was amazed I could believe that bullshit… anyway eventually to ‘get one away’ on RO’s immortal phrase, he hooked up with a Fundie Xtian believer who was in some sect. Eventually she lured him out of the regular world and he just vanished from all his mates.
I think it was because he’d had so little exposure to the theistic claptrap that when she said Jesus loves you as well as me, he had no inbuilt defense, and his ‘bullshit’ stance crumbled when his little head started to run the game.
This happened twice to good mates of mine, the other a golf club pro… same deal.
No defense against the Jesus virus.
sciencesaves on May 22, 2008, 9:30 AM
Great story! Makes me feel better that my kids will be getting it out of their systems, hopefully, and develop the sense and defense to deal with these issues.
Love sure does mess up the mind sometimes, but I wouldn’t want to live without it!
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