Im a catholic woman dating a Jehovahs Witness man can you have a successful interfaith marriage?

Answer 1

The decision is between the two of you if you want to marry each other but if you choose to then your marriage won't a very happy one. If you both believe in separate things you'll slowly drift away from each other. Just think about it.

Our Watchtower repeatedly reminds us of Paul's counsel to avoid becoming 'unevenly yoked'. For example Watchtower 15th March 1982 page 31 says

'' Do not marry someone who is not serving the Lord. The inspired counsel was not, 'If you find a clean, decent person, it is permissible to court and marry that individual with the hope that he or she may eventually become a Christian [Jehovah's Witness].' Rather, God's Word clearly says: "Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers." (2 Corinthians 6:14) To marry someone who is not already a baptized Christian [a Jehovah's Witness] would be to disregard that serious counsel.

But what if a Witness planned to disregard God's advice and to marry someone who was not a baptized Witness? Unless there was some exceptional reason, brothers in the congregation would not want to solemnize such an unequal yoking. Nor would the Kingdom Hall be available for the wedding. It is available for marriages of two baptized Christians who are marrying "only in the Lord." Or it might sometimes be used by two persons who are regularly serving God as part of the congregation and who will soon be baptized. By not allowing the Kingdom Hall to be used by a Witness who plans to 'become unevenly yoked with an unbeliever,' the congregation elders can underscore the seriousness of God's counsel to marry "only in the Lord."

At the end of the day whether you have a successful marriage is up to you two. However,please bear in mind our Watchtower 1st Sept 1989 page 19, states that ''Only Jehovah's Witnesses,have any Scriptural hope of surviving the impending end of this doomed system .''

Answer 2

Can they? Yes, it is possible, but not without great effort. Both religions advise against this. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says: "Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers." 1 Corinthians 7:39 similarly states that one should marry "only in the Lord." I will not discuss which one of the two religions is or is not in the Lord; but each one considers itself to teach the truth. As one of Jehovah's Witnesses, with relatives of many other faiths, including Catholics, I can state from experience that it will be difficult because of the differences in beliefs and practices. Especially is this true if and when children come along. Jehovah's Witnesses desire to raise their children to serve Jehovah. (Deuteronomy 6:6, 7; Ephesians 6:4) We do not celebrate the majority of things that Catholics do, holidays, birthdays, etc. My understanding is that Catholics feel that they must rase any children to be Catholics. Can you see the possibilty, even the probability, for conflicts here? The majority of Jehovah's Witnesses take our obedience to Jehovah very seriously, and from what I know, most Catholics feel the same way about their beliefs. Of course, if you are both willingly going against your beliefs, perhaps they are not of great import to either of you. However, if you are determined to do this, we do have some helpful information on our website on how to have a successful marriage. Links provided below in the "Related Links" section.