Misc Religions/interfaith dating/marriage

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Expert: Messianic Rabbi Yochanan Levine - 4/23/2009


Question
Is it possible to have a Muslim man marry a catholic woman without either person converting to the others religion?

Answer
Hi Heather,

In Islam Muslim men are allowed to marry Muslim, Jewish or Christian women (not Hindu etc). The woman will be required to obey her husband fully in all areas and if he chooses to later order her to revert to Islam she must obey according to Sharia (Muslim Law). Failure to comply is grounds for divorce (beating etc).

All children born (or raised in) such a marriage MUST be raised Muslim and in the event of divorce they must stay with the (Muslim) father in all cases. This is why many such Western children are occasionally "disappeared" to Muslim countries following divorce.   

-- Muslim women can ONLY marry Muslim men.

In Catholicism, there is some flexibility on this granted to the officiating priest on a case by case basis but such marriages are always frowned upon. ALL children born of such a marriage must be raised Catholic. This must be agreed to before the wedding takes place.

There is an obvious problem here:

Both religions demand the children be raised in their faith. It is therefore not possible to be "a good Muslim father" and "a good Catholic mother" both in such a marriage.

Personally, I strongly discourage intermarriage between practitioners of any faith with Muslims. Such marriages will almost always end in reversion to Islam or in divorce.

Hope this helps,
~ John of AllFaith

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Messianic Rabbi Yochanan Levine

Expertise

To varying degrees I have worked and studied with many different groups including:

The Noahides, Gaudiya Vaisnavism, Swami Muktinanda's Sidha Yoga Foundation, the Yoga Society (of Sri Ramamurti Mishra), Sikhism, various Pagan and neo-Pagan groups, Sunni Islam (Wahabi), Taoism, various Buddhist sects (including the Dharmad Hatu of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche), various diverse Hindu sects, many Christian denominations and movements, and have been involved with numerous other groups and movements too numerous to mention.

My personal beliefs are best described as authentic Messianic Judaism. In this category I can discuss most any religion you would like but Messianic Judaism is the foundation upon which I stand.

Experience

41 plus years of seeking God. Provost of Yeshiva Beth HaShem: http://templebethhashem.org/yeshiva Author of JewToo.org

Publications
My AllFaith.com: AllFaith.com JewToo.org: JewToo.org JewToo Multiply Blog: Multiply site Yeshiva Beth HaShem: Online Yeshiva Temple Beth HaShem: Our congregation's website

Education/Credentials
Experience: A lifetime spent "Reaching for the One." I am an ordained Messianic Jewish rabbi. I hold an MA in Religious Studies from John F Kennedy University. I hold three Christian ordinations, a counseling ordination from the Interfaith Seminaries of Santa Cruz. I am a twice initiated Vaishnava bramana (Gopinath Gaudiya matha and ISKCON), have practical experience with many other branches Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Paganism, Islam (Sunni, Shia and Sufi), Wicca (especially Welsh Traditionalist and Gardnarian), Judaism and other traditions. I own and author AllFaith.com, SriJagannath.com and JewToo.org.

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