Should People Marry Within Their Religion?
About
ninety-three percent of people in the United States believe that love is a very
important factor in marriage. But are
all of those people actually in love within their marriage? Although it is often denied, about half of
couples often stay together based on their children, money, and/or fear of being
alone.
In
Judaism, Jews are expected to marry within their religion so that they can
together raise their kids Jewish. So
does that mean that if you meet and fall in love with someone who isn’t Jewish,
you can’t marry them?
Well,
that is the big question.
On
one hand if you decide that you cannot marry someone who isn’t Jewish, it may
be hard for you to fall in love again, and the person you eventually decide to
marry, may not make you as happy as the other person did.
On
the other hand, if you decide to marry the non-Jewish person, there are a lot
of questions that appear. How will you
raise your children? Will they be
baptized and sent to church, or will they have a bar/bat mitzvah and go to
temple, or will they be allowed to choose?
Which holidays will your family celebrate? How will it be at the in-laws house if you
decide not to raise your kids of their religion? How will your child identify him or herself?
For
me, like many others, this is a really conflicting topic. I want to be able to date anyone I like, and
not limit myself to just people within my religion. However, I am positive I want to have a
Jewish family with my children raised Jewish, so how do I manage both?
Great questions, Emily. While answers are are important, living the question can be just as valuable. The poet Rainer Maria Rilke said, “Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.”
ReplyDeleteI think this topic is very interesting. I like how you questioned the reader along the way while also adding facts about Judaism and love. But couldn't someone convert to Judaism if it was that important to their partner?
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting question, i think love is the most important factor in marriage, but for some people religion is the most important thing in their life so they choice the religion. Different people have different choice
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Although love should be the reason of marriage but many people today get marry to get more money, power, frame, or just because they are under pressure from other people.
ReplyDeleteGood job using the socratic method within your topic. Also, great questions...it helps the reader think deeply about whether or not people should marry within their religion or marry someone they love.
ReplyDeleteThis topic is so interesting. I really like how you involved yourself by putting the question at the end. It allows the reader to think about what they want if they are to marry because of love or religion. Great job!
ReplyDelete