Any other mixed relationships???

[labguy22]

Hi,
I'm Nick. 40 years old living in Walnut Creek, California. I am Christian and have a wonderful husband who is Wiccan/Pagan. Believing in only one God has often created conflicts between our two beliefs. He has no problem in believing that my God exists, I just have trouble when it comes to all his Gods...and there are many!!! We respect each other and never force the issue of Right and Wrong regarding spiritual beliefs.
I am very interested to hear how others are living and loving in christian/non-christian relationships.

Be Blessed

[Zerbie]

Hi,
I'm Nick. 40 years old living in Walnut Creek, California. I am Christian and have a wonderful husband who is Wiccan/Pagan. Believing in only one God has often created conflicts between our two beliefs. He has no problem in believing that my God exists, I just have trouble when it comes to all his Gods...and there are many!!! We respect each other and never force the issue of Right and Wrong regarding spiritual beliefs.
I am very interested to hear how others are living and loving in christian/non-christian relationships.

Be Blessed

Well, I'm no expert, but maybe it might be helpful for you to envision "all his Gods" as detailed aspects (complete with personalities) of the one God you worship.

Might help - let me know if it works, or not.

[u-dog]

Well, I'm no expert, but maybe it might be helpful for you to envision "all his Gods" as detailed aspects (complete with personalities) of the one God you worship.

Might help - let me know if it works, or not.


This is EXPLICITYLY true of the Hindu Pantheon. If you talk theology with a Hindu at any length you begin to realize that out of the many... there is one. That's why Hindu's tend to "get" the doctrine of the Trinity more easily than say... a Muslim.

[scott snedeker]

Being pagan my self, I can give you another perspective. What we all truely possess is our perception of God or gods. This perception is a model.

This model is imperfect and incomplete in every instance because human beings have not 0.0000000001% of the intelligence to understand and know every aspect o the "Life, the Universe, and everything."

We use this model to live in our world.

The model is good if it makes us healthy, happy, and activates those things in others.

A model is a poor choice if it makes us self judemental, depressed and

powerless.


So the model I choose is Pan, god of the mountain forests of arcadia. He possesses the qualities that ring true to my soul. He is playful, Has sex with shepherds (men) as well as nymphs (women), Drinks wine and dances, Loves and protects his people (Shepherds, nymphs, satyrs, etc), and is half goat (I love goats).

For me this perception anthropromorphizes my perception (model) of the spirit of the Earth that connects all living things. Perfect for me!

So of course all gods exit! If we create the model in our mind, it now exists as such by definition.

Who is to say one model is significantly more accurate than an other when our limited intelligence makes accuracy impossible.

[ladyinred]

I have to agree with you Scott. You make good points.

[tdogg]

Hi Labguy! Welcome to the Soulforce forum. :D

My partner was raised Catholic but not practicing. I was raised Pentecostal (A of G). Much of what was thrown at me, I had trouble really buying it. I'm not all that sure about some of the Catholic rites/rituals.

We attended St Francis Catholic church here in my hometown for midnite mass. I will say it's a very welcoming church, I thoroughly enjoyed the service and the singing, and felt very much at home there. Saying a lot for someone raised in a 'house of tongues'.

We discuss spirituality and religion often. We both consider ourselves spiritual, and support each other's spirituality. Neither of us consider ourselves religious and agree on the issues we have with 'religion'. I guess that's why we don't have differences - when one concentrates on the spiritual aspect, how can another person say one's spirituality is flawed or wrong? It's a belief deep in one's soul, based on a combination of intelligence, emotion and physiology.

Just support your husband by allowing him his spirituality and insisting that he allow you, yours. Your husband doesn't necessarily need to join in (and vice versa) to help fulfill your spiritual needs. You basically need to provide your partner with the time and space to allow them to be spiritual.

[Jennifer5]

Welcome Nick! Glad to have you here! :love:


I'd have to say that with the whole religion thing, I have to agreed with what Tdogg said here.. >>>

Just support your husband by allowing him his spirituality and insisting that he allow you, yours. Your husband doesn't necessarily need to join in (and vice versa) to help fulfill your spiritual needs. You basically need to provide your partner with the time and space to allow them to be spiritual.

[labguy22]

This has been wonderful. My husband and I have been reading all your input. He actually wasn't aware that there was even an issue. I told him, not an issue, just something I was unfamiliar with dealing with. God ( or the Gods) reveal themselves to us in an infinite number of ways; and for one person to say there way is the only one, is truly ridiculous. This, however, is how I was raised to believe and it has been an ongoing experience to unlearn the dogma. The fact that a christian and pagan can love each other, as we do, helps me to believe that we can all peacefully and lovingly coexist. It's taken me years to understand that just because we may believe differently, that does not make my belief any less or any better than yours. I think this is what causes so many problems, people begin to doubt there own belief and resort to violence in order to validate themselves. For some reason the term "cognitive dissonance" springs to mind.

Be Blessed,
Nick