interfaith dating?

[avemaria40]

I know that the church strongly advises against an interfaith marriage, but what about interfaith dating? And is it ok if a Catholic marries someone who's not baptized or Christan or anything as long as they agree to raise children in the faith?

[Laudate_Dominum]

Well since dating ought to be with someone who is a potential spouse I'd say the discouragement of interfaith marriage certainly carries over to dating. And I personally couldn't imagine interfaith marriage and thus interfaith dating is out of the picture as well. Somewhere very dear to me (to put it mildly) is married to a non-Catholic and besides being a source of general tension in the marriage (they eventually gave up on mentioning religion after years of nonsense) it is painful to have the deepest part of yourself (assuming one is deeply living the life of the Church) in isolation from your spouse and possibly even resented and despised by your spouse. That is painful and lonely.
Even if they are "cool" with Catholicism, it is sad going to Church alone and wondering if your spouse is saved, and possibly being forced to do things that are immoral (ie, contracept), and simply be married to someone who does not really understand or probably truly respect that which is at the center of your life. The kids too are a consideration. Even if he agrees to support raising the kids Catholic, how well is a non-Catholic really going to raise Catholic children? And what kind of example will it be for the children if dad isn't Catholic. Boys will want to emulate their role model and do their own thing rather than go to Mass and respect the Catholic Faith.

There are many other cynical considerations as well. I know it might not be all that, but I've yet to see a scenario that was really all that hot. And thinking one can convert their spouse down the road is not a good assumption. It backfires because your husband might be thinking the exact same thing. This is what happened in the marriage of this kind that is close to me. This battle to convert the other just drove them apart and neither was going to be "wrong" about their religion, especially not the husband.

The primary end and good of marriage according to Pope Pius XI is the procreation and education of children. With this in mind as the primary good and end, and realizing the the aspect of this education of prime importance is passing on the Catholic Faith in its integrity. And that this passing on is largely by the example of both parents, it only makes sense to consider a suitor who is strong in the Catholic Faith and will be well suited to carry out this mission of being a Catholic husband and father.

The woman in the interfaith marriage that i know intimate details about obviously loves and embraces the Catholic moral teaches and would love to have a marriage according to the Theology of the Body and all that, but the husband's heterodox theology of marriage satanically states that the man is to indulge his lusts with his wife and use her because she is supposed to take on the man's sins in some kind of "Christ-like" way. The wife is a dumping ground for the man's twisted lusts. How remarkably wonderful and dreamy, eh?

This is saying that the woman represents Christ (which isn't true in the primary sense, she represents the Church in the spousal relationship, Christ is Bridegroom), secondly, it is saying that the man represents Satan and the powers of darkness, and that he inflicts the horrors of sin upon Christ his wife. Anyhow, not quite the Theology of the Body and a disturbing reality for a devout Catholic woman who married a non-Catholic thinking she would convert him or that it wouldn't be that bad. The husband forbits Catholic images and things in the house and forbids her to wear the scapular. Also the woman has gone to Mass alone all her marriage and has been given countless atrocious anti-Catholic books to read through the years.. Fun stuff..

I'm sure there are more pleasants stories of interfaith marriage, but there are no doubt worse stories as well. In any case it is not an ideal situation and there are countless possible problems. Marriage is difficult enough as it is, it is better to marry someone with whom you at least agree on religious and moral matters. If not for your own sake, for the sake of the children.