Guest Post on Relationships by Camille Santos
I’ve been listening to a lot of FM radio lately, and one night while I was poring through my books, this topic of cross-religion (for lack of a better term) girl-boy relationships got opened up. There were all sorts of different opinions on the topic – some of them bizarre, some sensible enough. And because I find this topic rather interesting I figured maybe I’d chip in with my two cents.
I say these relationships will work, because I believe in the power of love.
Okay. Maybe not.
Respect each other. This is probably the first thing couples in these kinds of relationships would have to do. If you’re catholic and he’s atheist, fine. You don’t have to rub your beliefs in his face and place every single thing he does within the context of your religion (or practice, I don’t know). Doing so would, figuratively, be like adding more wood to the campfire. Practice some tolerance.
Understand that religions don’t really agree with each other all the time – except maybe when they’re telling us to be good or do some right actions because right actions have perks – so you have to educate yourself. Get familiar with your partner’s religious practices and background, because beliefs most often flow into actions. That way, the stuff that he does won’t weird you out.
“If you really love me, you should totally be a [insert name of religion here].”
Change is good, but if you really dig each other, one thing you shouldn’t do, in my opinion, is to try to convert your partner. Not only does it sound like you’re forcing your partner, but it’s because this would probably be something both of you might regret in the future. Be content with the fact that the only thing that’s permanent in this world is change, and by and by, both of you just might find yourselves sharing the same beliefs. Just don’t expect it to happen overnight.
Ultimately, though, it all boils down on how deal with your differences and perhaps how you try to find a common ground. All of us were born without religions, and whatever beliefs we have right now, it’s either we were raised with them or we chose them – so I see no trouble in pursuing a relationship with a person of another religion.
Okay – so maybe it has something to do with the power of love.
