Dating Outside Your Religion
by Rick Pelle
Dating someone of another faith can be a difficult situation even when the couple is deeply united. We can learn from biblical times and bible stories just how difficult differences in religion can be for even the most united of couples.
King Solomon was known as the wisest of the wise and ruled with incredible foresight and intelligence. The Bible says he had 700 wives and 300 concubines, some of whom were the daughters of pagan kings, who forged an alliance with Solomon. These alliances were often sealed with the presentation of a daughter's hand in marriage. One of these pagan wives who Solomon favored dearly convinced Solomon to make offerings to her pagan gods. The result of those offerings left Solomon struck down by the God of the Israelites with insanity and he died in disgrace.
Abraham and his Wife Sarah wish only to have a son to continue their lineage but Sarah is barren and thought to be too old to conceive. She gives her husband her Egyptian servant Hagar who has a child by Abraham. Later when God gives Sarah a child of her own Hagar and her Son Ishmael are sent into the desert to die. Instead they become the ancestors of the Arab Nations and we all know how that family feud has played out over the centuries.
Moses was placed in a basket by his mother and floated down the river to save his life. He was raised by the daughter of the Pharaoh and treated like a member of the royal family. Moses finds out that he is actually a Hebrew and in a rage kills an Egyptian who is beating a Hebrew slave. He is forced to flee into the land of the Midianites. He rescues the daughters of a Midianite priest who takes him in and gives him his daughter Zipporah as a wife. God tries to kill Moses but he is saved by Zipporah in a bizarre ritual which involves the circumcision of their son and the tossing of the foreskin at the feet of Moses. Moses and the Hebrews eventually reject and abandon Zipporah because she is an Ethiopian and she and her sons are sent away to live their lives with her father in the desert.
The concept of marrying within your religion is emphasized in the story of Rebekah. Abraham was living in Canaan and was so concerned about his son Isaac not having a proper Hebrew wife. He sent his servant to the City of Nahor to find Isaac a wife. The servant returned with Rebekah who was a godly woman and who became Isaac's wife. The couple was barren for more than 20 years but eventually had twin boys Jacob and Esau.
Sampson was encouraged by his family to marry Miriam a Hebrew maiden who loved him very much but he was smitten by the beauty of a Philistine women named Semadar. Semadar had a sister named Delilah who was so taken by Sampson's strength that she wanted him for herself. The ensuing family squabbles left both the Philistines and the Hebrews with burned villages and destroyed crops as the girls fought over him eventually causing the death of Semadar and the downfall of the once invincible Sampson by the hand of Delilah.
The Bible gives us many examples of the pitfalls of dating outside of ones faith and though many of the stories may be parables designed to teach to the leanings of the church they are no less prophetic. Sir Edmund Burke (1729-1797) said: "Those who do not know history are destined to repeat it." If religion is important to you and you choose to ignore the teachings of the Bible, to date within your faith, you could be tempting fate.
Rick Pelle is a political and religious blogger. He often takes positions that are conservative in nature but just as often he expresses views considered liberal or libertarian. Check out his blogs below:
Dating Outside Your Religion
Discussion Of All Things Spiritual
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Pelle
King Solomon was known as the wisest of the wise and ruled with incredible foresight and intelligence. The Bible says he had 700 wives and 300 concubines, some of whom were the daughters of pagan kings, who forged an alliance with Solomon. These alliances were often sealed with the presentation of a daughter's hand in marriage. One of these pagan wives who Solomon favored dearly convinced Solomon to make offerings to her pagan gods. The result of those offerings left Solomon struck down by the God of the Israelites with insanity and he died in disgrace.
Abraham and his Wife Sarah wish only to have a son to continue their lineage but Sarah is barren and thought to be too old to conceive. She gives her husband her Egyptian servant Hagar who has a child by Abraham. Later when God gives Sarah a child of her own Hagar and her Son Ishmael are sent into the desert to die. Instead they become the ancestors of the Arab Nations and we all know how that family feud has played out over the centuries.
Moses was placed in a basket by his mother and floated down the river to save his life. He was raised by the daughter of the Pharaoh and treated like a member of the royal family. Moses finds out that he is actually a Hebrew and in a rage kills an Egyptian who is beating a Hebrew slave. He is forced to flee into the land of the Midianites. He rescues the daughters of a Midianite priest who takes him in and gives him his daughter Zipporah as a wife. God tries to kill Moses but he is saved by Zipporah in a bizarre ritual which involves the circumcision of their son and the tossing of the foreskin at the feet of Moses. Moses and the Hebrews eventually reject and abandon Zipporah because she is an Ethiopian and she and her sons are sent away to live their lives with her father in the desert.
The concept of marrying within your religion is emphasized in the story of Rebekah. Abraham was living in Canaan and was so concerned about his son Isaac not having a proper Hebrew wife. He sent his servant to the City of Nahor to find Isaac a wife. The servant returned with Rebekah who was a godly woman and who became Isaac's wife. The couple was barren for more than 20 years but eventually had twin boys Jacob and Esau.
Sampson was encouraged by his family to marry Miriam a Hebrew maiden who loved him very much but he was smitten by the beauty of a Philistine women named Semadar. Semadar had a sister named Delilah who was so taken by Sampson's strength that she wanted him for herself. The ensuing family squabbles left both the Philistines and the Hebrews with burned villages and destroyed crops as the girls fought over him eventually causing the death of Semadar and the downfall of the once invincible Sampson by the hand of Delilah.
The Bible gives us many examples of the pitfalls of dating outside of ones faith and though many of the stories may be parables designed to teach to the leanings of the church they are no less prophetic. Sir Edmund Burke (1729-1797) said: "Those who do not know history are destined to repeat it." If religion is important to you and you choose to ignore the teachings of the Bible, to date within your faith, you could be tempting fate.
Rick Pelle is a political and religious blogger. He often takes positions that are conservative in nature but just as often he expresses views considered liberal or libertarian. Check out his blogs below:
Dating Outside Your Religion
Discussion Of All Things Spiritual
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Pelle
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