Clarence_Boddicker Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 This is not about me personally, but someone I know of. I'm not a big religious person, I'd guess I'm somewhere in the agnostic category. My question has to do with Christians (true believers, not the superficial ones) who are involved with Wiccans/Satanists (not sure if there's any real difference between the two), in a committed relationship or marriage. I don't know much about those faiths, but as I understand it, Christians are not allowed to get married to someone who is not a fellow Christian & Believer. I think it's even specifically mentioned in Corinthians. I'm not sure if that's an unforgivable sin that will lead to damnation or basically an insult to God. My limited understanding is that Christian believers are supposed to marry a fellow Christian believer, with God included in the marriage & have kids that will be raised Christian. If I've misinterpreted something, I don't mean any offence. Knowing that, how could a Christian believer date & marry a non Christian non believer? Ignoring that, wouldn't a Christian believer be tormented knowing that the person they love will be sent to Hell & not spend eternity in Heaven with them? The only thing that makes sense to me is if the Christian believer hopes to convert the other into being a Christian believer, like themselves. I have very little knowledge about the Wiccan & Satanist faith(s), but it would seem to be very awkward to be with someone who believes that your faith is bad, evil, wrong, etc. How would kids be raised in a mutually exclusive situation like that? Wouldn't it be a source of a lot of stress, unless they want to convert their Christian spouse to their Pagan? faith? Wouldn't getting married in a church & reciting Christian vows, be blasphemous towards their faith? Link to post Share on other sites
pie2 Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 (edited) Mark 12:28-31 "One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”As you can read, Jesus provides very simple instructions on how to live a life dedicated to Him. Most evangelical Christians today don't have hard and fast "CAN'Ts" (things we can't do), though there are some things that may require intervention or guidance. Though there are few things that are forbidden, there are many suggestions on how to live a life most in line with Jesus' life. One of those suggestions is to not be unequally yoked with a partner, as it would cause many of the problems you listed. But none of us are ultimately able to judge the heart of another, if s/he were to marry outside of the faith. However, if a "Christian" marries a Satanist, you really have to wonder how strong the Christian's faith in Jesus is in the first place. You would really have to wonder if their spiritual faith is a big deal in his or her life. As you're right...a Satanist would be the complete antithesis of an ideal marriage partner! And you'd think it'd be the same vice-versa. So, I think the question is, when marrying outside the faith, how strong is the person's faith, or do they even really believe in the power of Christ at all? Edited June 23, 2015 by pie2 1 Link to post Share on other sites
autumnnight Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 This is not about me personally, but someone I know of. I'm not a big religious person, I'd guess I'm somewhere in the agnostic category. My question has to do with Christians (true believers, not the superficial ones) who are involved with Wiccans/Satanists (not sure if there's any real difference between the two), in a committed relationship or marriage. I don't know much about those faiths, but as I understand it, Christians are not allowed to get married to someone who is not a fellow Christian & Believer. I think it's even specifically mentioned in Corinthians. I'm not sure if that's an unforgivable sin that will lead to damnation or basically an insult to God. My limited understanding is that Christian believers are supposed to marry a fellow Christian believer, with God included in the marriage & have kids that will be raised Christian. If I've misinterpreted something, I don't mean any offence. Knowing that, how could a Christian believer date & marry a non Christian non believer? Ignoring that, wouldn't a Christian believer be tormented knowing that the person they love will be sent to Hell & not spend eternity in Heaven with them? The only thing that makes sense to me is if the Christian believer hopes to convert the other into being a Christian believer, like themselves. I have very little knowledge about the Wiccan & Satanist faith(s), but it would seem to be very awkward to be with someone who believes that your faith is bad, evil, wrong, etc. How would kids be raised in a mutually exclusive situation like that? Wouldn't it be a source of a lot of stress, unless they want to convert their Christian spouse to their Pagan? faith? Wouldn't getting married in a church & reciting Christian vows, be blasphemous towards their faith? Wiccans are very different from Satanists. A wiccan CAN be a satanist, but I also know a couple of wiccans who claim to be Christians (which is hard for me to understand but I am not inside their hearts). I would think two such divergent belief systems would cause a lot of stress. For example, Satan and God/Christ are pretty much completely at odds, so I'm not sure how that would work. And chalk it up to possibly too many movies, but as a Christian, I would be...kinda scared (I know, I know, but I'm being honest here) to marry a satanist. What if...demons started oppressing our house? I know....I gotta stop watching "A Haunting." I know what I believe and my kids are pretty much grown. I wouldn't be completely opposed to being with someone non-religious if they could at least respect how important my faith is to me. But no, not a wiccan or satanist. Link to post Share on other sites
central Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 There are no references to a hell of everlasting punishment in the Bible. The concept is a later one. The Origin and History of the Doctrine of Endless Punishment 2 Link to post Share on other sites
autumnnight Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 There are no references to a hell of everlasting punishment in the Bible. The concept is a later one. The Origin and History of the Doctrine of Endless Punishment It may not last forever....but I bet an hour in there wouldn't be pleasant either Link to post Share on other sites
pie2 Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Wiccans are very different from Satanists. A wiccan CAN be a satanist, but I also know a couple of wiccans who claim to be Christians (which is hard for me to understand but I am not inside their hearts). I would think two such divergent belief systems would cause a lot of stress. For example, Satan and God/Christ are pretty much completely at odds, so I'm not sure how that would work. And chalk it up to possibly too many movies, but as a Christian, I would be...kinda scared (I know, I know, but I'm being honest here) to marry a satanist. What if...demons started oppressing our house? I know....I gotta stop watching "A Haunting." I know what I believe and my kids are pretty much grown. I wouldn't be completely opposed to being with someone non-religious if they could at least respect how important my faith is to me. But no, not a wiccan or satanist. A "Satanist" does sound very scary. But, is there really a distinction between non-believers in Christ? Anyone who is not walking in faith is really not walking for Christ. So, becoming yoked (in marriage) to a run-of-the-mill non-believer is really, ultimately, comparable to marrying a Satanist. At least, imo . Link to post Share on other sites
autumnnight Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 A "Satanist" does sound very scary. But, is there really a distinction between non-believers in Christ? Anyone who is not walking in faith is really not walking for Christ. So, becoming yoked (in marriage) to a run-of-the-mill non-believer is really, ultimately, comparable to marrying a Satanist. At least, imo . Strictly speaking, according to the passage in Corinthians, an unbeliever is an unbeliever, so if one claims to be living according to all of God's Word, then it really doesn't matter, correct. But practically and personally speaking, an unbeliever who respects my beliefs and kind of goes with the flow would feel very different from an unbeliever who also worships Satan, may bring occultic practices into my home, etc. etc. It's a personal thing. Like I said, maybe I just need to stop watching A Haunting and Paranormal Activity Link to post Share on other sites
autumnnight Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 That doesn't make any sense. If an unbeliever is lost then it doesn't matter whether they are a satanist or just an unbeliever that goes with the flow of Christian culture. So you are more concerned that an unbeliever respects your faith than you are about their eternal destiny? That's hypocrisy. I am speaking your own doctrine back to you. You are the one who believes that a person had to be a believer to go to heaven. Besides that depending on how important your spirituality and faith is to you there's all kinds of conflicts that can come up unpredictably when married to an unbeliever. It is not only with an issue of how to raise the kids but other things too. If spirituality is a high priority to you then what do you really have in common with someone who has a totally different outlook on life and death? There's really not much to talk about. If you are lukewarm about spiritual matters then sure I can see how it would work marrying someone who doesn't believe like you do. Point taken, and it IS a bit of fence sitting. My ideal would be to be with someone who was a believer who actually practiced their faith. Like I said, just personally, to me there is a difference between a nice guy who watches football and isn't all that into church and a guy who might summon spirits in my attic 2 Link to post Share on other sites
pureinheart Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Point taken, and it IS a bit of fence sitting. My ideal would be to be with someone who was a believer who actually practiced their faith. Like I said, just personally, to me there is a difference between a nice guy who watches football and isn't all that into church and a guy who might summon spirits in my attic Agreed, and I don't know how to adequately explain it, but there is a vast difference spiritually speaking. Link to post Share on other sites
pureinheart Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 This is not about me personally, but someone I know of. I'm not a big religious person, I'd guess I'm somewhere in the agnostic category. My question has to do with Christians (true believers, not the superficial ones) who are involved with Wiccans/Satanists (not sure if there's any real difference between the two), in a committed relationship or marriage. I don't know much about those faiths, but as I understand it, Christians are not allowed to get married to someone who is not a fellow Christian & Believer. It's not recommended for a reason- there is Gods perfect will for our lives and His permissive will. I think it's even specifically mentioned in Corinthians. I'm not sure if that's an unforgivable sin that will lead to damnation or basically an insult to God. My limited understanding is that Christian believers are supposed to marry a fellow Christian believer, with God included in the marriage & have kids that will be raised Christian. This is Gods perfect will typically- God has told His people to marry outside of His perfect will, which in turn would be His perfect will. The Book of Hosea comes to mind. God instructed Hosea to marry a lady that was known for many off-the-wall things and was completely out of the 'mold' of what God had instructed in the past. Gods point, through this unusual marriage, was to make a point to Israel as to how they had prostituted themselves (figuratively speaking). If I've misinterpreted something, I don't mean any offence. Knowing that, how could a Christian believer date & marry a non Christian non believer? Ignoring that, wouldn't a Christian believer be tormented knowing that the person they love will be sent to Hell & not spend eternity in Heaven with them? The only thing that makes sense to me is if the Christian believer hopes to convert the other into being a Christian believer, like themselves. Sometimes it's out of ignorance and sometimes out of rebellion, although it is not a believers eternal security. From personal experience, it makes for a rough road... I have very little knowledge about the Wiccan & Satanist faith(s), but it would seem to be very awkward to be with someone who believes that your faith is bad, evil, wrong, etc. How would kids be raised in a mutually exclusive situation like that? Wouldn't it be a source of a lot of stress, unless they want to convert their Christian spouse to their Pagan? faith? Wouldn't getting married in a church & reciting Christian vows, be blasphemous towards their faith? You illustrated the reasons God would have us in His perfect will:D 1 Link to post Share on other sites
pie2 Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 Like I said, just personally, to me there is a difference between a nice guy who watches football and isn't all that into church and a guy who might summon spirits in my attic True!! But God has so much more for you than even a 'nice guy who watches football'. Don't lose faith. Easier said than done, I know . Link to post Share on other sites
LookAtThisPOst Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 There's this one woman, living in the boonies, age 51, single, never married, no kids...says in her OK Cupid profile, "You should message me only ..." "You're a practicing, Evangelical Christian. (NOT a Catholic or "spiritual") Funny how some Christians feel Catholics aren't "Christian" in their eyes, LOL It's almost as if they look down on them as if they are destined for hell. Link to post Share on other sites
autumnnight Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 True!! But God has so much more for you than even a 'nice guy who watches football'. Don't lose faith. Easier said than done, I know . Oh, I'm not looking, just sharing my feelings. When push comes to shove, I cannot imagine sharing my life who would not take my hands and pray WITH me during the hard times (and good). 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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