Mixed Marriages

Research Paper

Mixed Marriages

Western International University

ETH-123 Cultural Diversity

In the world today many people only relate to mixed marriages as just between person’s of different races but it also involves marriages that bring people of different faiths together as well. Interfaith Marriages trace back to early years of existence during Roman Catholicism and refers to a marriage between Catholic and a non-Catholic or interfaith marriages.

Those within the Judaism faith find interfaith marriage controversial. Interfaith marriages in the Orthodox Judaism are strictly forbidden as well as any sexual intercourse with a member of a different faith. These marriages deliberately reject Judaism and in most cases the intermarried person is cut off from his/her family of the Orthodox community. However, in recent years Conservative Judaism has moved to a more nuanced understanding of the issue. Instead of excommunicating their children they’ve continued to love and support their children to maintain some form of influence in their lives. The Leadership Council of Conservative Judaism stated, “Life consists of constant growth and our adult children may yet reach a stage when Judaism has new meaning for them. However, the marriage between a Jew and non-Jew is not a celebration for the Jewish community. We therefore reach out to the couple with the hope that the non-Jewish partner will move closer to Judaism and ultimately choose to convert.1”

Many believers expect God to bring that one person or soul mate as their marriage partner. However, there are many questions that an interfaith couple must think about. The first one that comes to mind is if this person is of a different faith could God have selected this person for me? Is it possible that God is using me to bring this person into a righteous life? What faith will the couple ultimately belong to and which faith to raise their children. One problem that may arise are that one spouse may give tithing...