HelenM

Ok, but...apart from that, what does an unbeliever have in common with a believer???

(You've seen Life of Brian, right? Apart from that, What have the Romans ever done for us??? )

They might not both vote the same way, fwiw...

love
Helen

Perchance

I am sincerely impressed with your courage, and glad that you are willing to do what makes you happy even if it also makes you uneasy. I've met far too few people who are willing to do this. Congratulations!

Hmmmm. Thanks for the ideas. I suppose the belief seemed so extreme I hadn't considered it on a parallel with other "ignorances" (is that a word? )

Of course, I've also met people who are now convinced that everyone in the Middle East is an America-hating terrorist, so I suppose there are extreme beliefs outside the fundamentalist fold.

-Perchance.

IvanK

Here's some unsolicited advice, but it's free so you can't complain about the price of it.

If your God works in mysterious ways it's entirely possible that, as my wife puts it, He's sent you an atheist. My personal impression is that if He exists then He can certainly take a joke. I find that Christians, my wife included, can spend altogether too much time and effort worrying about whether what they're doing with their lives is in line with whatever plan God may have for them. Here's my feeling: if it feels right, it is right.

Congratulations and best of luck to the both of you.

RufusAtticus

Ah crap. I guess the wedding's off then.

spurly

Here's the way I've always see the reason for this admonition of Paul (through the Holy Spirit).

Christians and non-Christians have a totally different way of looking at the world. A Christian sees God as the creator, and the point of all life is to live in a love relationship with him. Because that is our goal - it affects everything we do. Every action we take. Every word we speak. Every dollar we spend. Every conversation we enter.

A non-Christian has a different goal. Maybe it is to make lots of money and be successful. Maybe it is to help their fellow man. Maybe it is just to have fun. But those two goals will always come into conflict with each other because they are living according to totally different world views.

Thus, since they are motivated by different things, the will naturally find themselves going in different direction. The wife wants to give money to a mission in Cuba. The husband wants to spend it on a vacation - what to do? The husband wants to go downtown and talk to people on the street about Jesus on Friday night, the wife wants to go to the ballet - what to do?

It is much easier to live when both people are moving in the same direction.

Kevin

Queen of Swords

Originally posted by spurly
The wife wants to give money to a mission in Cuba. The husband wants to spend it on a vacation - what to do?

The wife submits, what else?

The husband wants to go downtown and talk to people on the street about Jesus on Friday night, the wife wants to go to the ballet - what to do?

Any reason that people won't listen if they see a man unaccompanied by his better half? Any reason she can't go to the ballet with her best friend instead?

As the child of an "unequally yoked marriage", I can testify that the participants learn what they can do together and what they should do separately - and they realize that doing some things apart doesn't break the marriage and may actually strengthen it.

spurly

In youth ministry I see it over and over again. One parent is a strong, faithful, Christian. One parent does not believe at all or is minimal in their commitment. This leads to a lot of disagreement on how they should spend their money, what they should do for entertainment, and how they should raise their children, just to name a few. Not to mention I have seen children who are totally confused because they love both parents and don't want to displease either one of them when Dad wants them to go fishing and mom wants them to go to church.

Kevin

Amie

I just don't buy into that unequally yolked stuff, I get that speech often from people
I just shrug it off...
I am in love so I am going to follow my heart. If God has a problem with it he can take it up with me. He knows where to find me.

philechat

The dungs of oxen! People have different goals not only in religious matters, but in everything. What about a surgeon who has to answer emergency calls once every few days? Does it mean the surgeon has to marry another surgeon? People can deal with conflicts of work for certain, which takes up half of their time of existence.

What about a husband who is absolutely in love with football games? The wife let him watch it and call him quits when he must do dishes. People can compromise about these hobbies I am sure. And what if the wife is in love with classical music? Is her husband required to believe Wagner the best guy in the world and be subjected to the bombardments of sopranoes every evening? Or are there alternative choices (such as earphones)?

Gimme a break.

spurly

I know for me it would never work. The one overriding desire in my life is to have a relationship with God. It consumes my every waking moment. I want to love him. I want to rest in his love.

When I open my mouth it is what I speak about. When I read a book it is what I read about. When I watch a movie I look for ways that the movie can be applied to my love relationship with God.

When I eat, I am thinking about God. When I am in the shower I pray for God to cleanse me. When I spend money, I want to do it in ways that God desires. When I use my time, I only want to do it in a way that honors God.

A non-believer and I would never be on the same page. That is what I call being unequally yoked. And that's what Paul was warning against.

Kevin