Hare Krishna ,
Can anyone please share the difficulties and challenges of Interfaith Marriages?
The child born from such a marriage if baptised can he take part in krishna conscious activities ?
If one decides to marry someone from other religion , what could be most dangerous situation while practising krishna consciousness?
Regards,
Pujan
Comments
Thank you very much for your replies. It is very helpful.
In this particular case my partner (a devout catholik ,very religious and a trained sister in some monastery in ukraine) and I practising KC somehow weakly for last 5 years. We both respect our religions and agree to continue with our faith. We are vegetarians. She is also ok singing Hare Krishna with me or go to temple.
As a person she is very nice. And I afraid to discontinue our relationship because of our religious differences.
Of Krishna is worshippable Lord and I want to take up KC more seriously. But since I really like my partner who is from different faith, I dont want break up for religious rituals.
I have made it clear neighther I nor my children will be baptised after marriage.And she is ok.
But problem is her church cannot get her legally married to me if I dont agree.
For last few days we have been only discussing about these religious differences. I feel very bad that I didnt considered this in the beginning of our relationship. Its been 3 months now.
I live in India , she in Ukraine. We meet one time in Russia. We both liked each other.
I would really appreciate some more suggestion from devotees.
Is it really dangerous for KC to marry a non devotee/ different religion?
I think the most dangerous situation in an interfaith marriage comes from lack of understanding and respecting how important certain things are. These don't have to be huge things, but little things can really nag on someone.
For instance, I'm dating a Christian raised in Calvary Chapel. He likes to bake. He likes to bake a lot. If I want to remain true to Vedic dietary requirements, I can't eat what he bakes, because he uses eggs. I try to get him to use things like Ener-G Egg Replacer, but he finds it troublesome to use it. I get told things like "Why can't you be flexible about this?" Well, because not eating eggs is how I serve Krishna! How would you like me to insist you stop doing something that serves Jesus that brings you great joy?
Bear in mind, he does try to respect my journey in Krishna Consciousness, and it has not been easy for him, as he was raised with a certain idea of who and what God is, and the image of Krishna doesn't quite jibe with him. I don't think he still quite accepts Krishna as the Supreme Being, even though I accept Yahweh and Jesus being the Supreme Person, the same as Krishna (infinite number of names and faces, right?).
To follow up on Sarira Rupa's response, a big danger can come from association, where your partner talks to people from his faith. I'm not exactly quiet on my faith (Krishna is my life and love and I will NOT be shamed into silence). However, I stayed home to clean house while he went to a church gathering of some kind. I decide to take a break and go onto my computer, and he starts chatting to me from where he is. He starts telling me that he knows I worship a pantheon and not the One True God, and I'm going to Hell, and I have to choose between him and Krishna. I started packing my bags and arranged for a ride.
Someone did talk some sense into him and he begged me to call him, which I eventually did, and he apologized and we worked it out. We later discussed it after he got home.
Yes, it's easier to marry within your faith, but if you get with someone who's not a Vaishnava, you need to made absolute sure that you respect where each other is coming from and each do your best to understand.
Mike
Pranams,
It depends on where you live and secondly, your mutual understanding with your partner.
In my country, if two non-Moslem people want to get married, they do not have to legally convert into another religion. Conversion is a personal matter in their case. But, if a non-Moslem wants to get married to a Moslem, he/she needs to take up Islam to get married to their Moslem partner. So, most of us here prefer to not have any love affairs with people of that religion. However, interfaith marriages between Hindus, Christians or Buddhists is not an uncommon matter. Some couples choose to practise their own faiths, while their children are raised in both.
Personally, I will not recommend interfaith marriages. It will involve a great deal of problems if your spouse is a very strong believer of her religion and resents yours. If you resent her religion too, problems may occur. There will be no internal satisfaction or peace of mind. If problems arise, one of you must comply with the other person's rules. You may have to give up your faith and embrace theirs or embrace nothing at all. If such conditions exist in your life, you will have to give up Krishna. You will be upset and no matter where you try to find peace, you will never find it, for Krishna is our Father and everything blissful in our lives.
Our Krishna bhakti tradition is the most sublime and sattvic practices in this universe. What best will you get when you reject the perfect object to find something else? You will get regret.
Just think twice before getting married to a person who belongs to another religion unless both of you are perfectly fine with each other practising your own faiths.
Hare Krishna!