Culture & Lifestyle

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Evangelicals Bash Clinton Interfaith Marriage

Posted 21 months ago|4 comments|575 views
Interfaith Intolerance
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Written by
markbyrn
 Moderator
Up until now, my personal interest in the royalist like treatment of Chelsea Clinton's wedding was about the same as having a minor case of acid reflux. Unfortunately after reading an article from the Evangelical Concerned Women of America, the acid reflux turned into a case of religious diarrhea. To quote the relevant bits of the article:

"When asked about the significance of her daughter, Chelsea, marrying Marc Mezvinsky, who is Jewish, and thus being married in an interfaith union, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton responded, "Over the years, so many of the barriers that prevented people from getting married, crossing lines of faith or color or ethnicity have just disappeared."

"If doctrine is more than just cultural observances, there is no way it can merely be a casual, insignificant part of a believer's life. For the true Christian believer, this means a life lived in light of Christ's singular claim that He is "the way, the truth, and the life." Taking His claim seriously, that He is the only way to the Father (John 14:6), means that all decisions are made in light of His teaching and commands. This includes His teaching that marriage is intended by God to be a life-long covenant — not just between the couple, but sealed by God and witnessed by fellow believers in the couples' church community. That said, real Christian marriage includes a commitment to follow Christ, both in lifestyle and in childrearing."

"Religion that is not practiced is little more than a set of myths and of no more significance than the fairy tales told to toddlers at bedtime. Faith that does not make demands on behavior is not faith at all."

In other words, the Concerned Women of America are burnishing their credentials as as evangelical conservative shills who not only decry gay marriage but decry Christians that aren't intolerant enough to only marry another Christian. And ironically, these same busy bodies claim to support Jews and Israel but God help you if you marry one.

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/19229/BLI/d...
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COMMENTS
Out Of The Box
Out Of The Box
 Moderator
21 months ago: Everyone has a right to their own opinion., wrong or not. It's only a big deal to those who choose to make it so. Even the New Testament deals with Christian\non-Christian unions, and recommends that the marriage remain whole.
Rudi Stettner
Rudi Stettner
 Moderator
21 months ago: There is nothing wrong with wanting to pass on a faith or a value system. I do not consider it to be anti Jewish to oppose interfaith marriage but a common sense component of transmitting values. In my own family, I have no racial or language bar for accepting the spouses of my children. I would hope and pray, however that their chosen spouses would be Jewish according to Jewish law, either by virtue of birth or by virtue of conversion. I have no trouble understanding a member of any other faith community who feels the same way
Altruist
Altruist
Eugene, OR
21 months ago: When my mother who was Lutheran married my Father who was Catholic, her mother tried to rip her ring from her hand and throw it in the furnace. She put mom through hell.

Now we as a society and culture have grown past the hatred between similar Christian Sects. I hope in the future we can grow through not only Christian/Jewish conflicts, but also Christian/Muslim conflicts, Shia/Sunni, and tribal and cultural conflicts that have hundred year histories of hate.
21 months ago: Marriage is about the sharing of lives. It is about oneness at the deepest levels humanly possible. It goes beyond the two becoming one flesh. It is a complete body, soul and spirit commitment to God and to each other.

In my marriage, our shared belief in God provides a bedrock for the shared values that define our relationship and our family.

As far as Chelsea and her betrothed go, the long term success of their marriage will depend entirely on how big a part God plays in their lives. If the two of them have very little involvement in their faith, their religion within the context of their marriage will be of little or no consequence.

In fact, the only way for such a union to survive long-term is for one or both to compromise their faith and simply be what they are in name only. When the religion is as relativistic as the society it really makes no difference.

Still, a shared faith is not a guarantee of a great marriage, but it's a smart place to start.

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