Christians and Dating

[kannin]

so my question: would a girl who is a strict fallower of the christian faith have a different attitude towards dating than a non believer would?

like im an athiest, i take a christian out on a date would i have to handle it differently than a date with another athiest?

i guess what it boils down to is does religion effect dating?

[Big Bad Voodoo]

Why you open a thread about it, we discuss same thing in another one. Yourself included.

[kannin]

im starting a thread for specific opinions from other people the other one was "my date with a christian" telling users about a date with a christian and why it went wrong, im asking peoples opinions if being religious would effect dating, i know we discussed it but it was going no were it was one opinion against the other now with this thread we can get multiple, seems a little more productive of an arguement in this thread carry on

[+and-then]

People who self identify as Christians run the gamut from hard core true believers who feel they have been transformed by Christ's presence in their lives, to others who consider themselves "Christians" because they affiliate themselves with a church and have "spoken the words" publicly. Dating the latter probably wouldn't create a noticeable difference for a non believer on a date. The former, however, could be a real obstacle. Christians who are truly invested in the word of God tend to live a life that reflects that word. So I guess the answer to your question is yes, it can be a problem IF the Christian is truly walking the walk AND if the non believer who is dating them is more invested in "worldly" things. And I want to point out that I don't judge ANY of them.

[kannin]

People who self identify as Christians run the gamut from hard core true believers who feel they have been transformed by Christ's presence in their lives, to others who consider themselves "Christians" because they affiliate themselves with a church and have "spoken the words" publicly. Dating the latter probably wouldn't create a noticeable difference for a non believer on a date. The former, however, could be a real obstacle. Christians who are truly invested in the word of God tend to live a life that reflects that word. So I guess the answer to your question is yes, it can be a problem IF the Christian is truly walking the walk AND if the non believer who is dating them is more invested in "worldly" things. And I want to point out that I don't judge ANY of them.

yes me neither and i agree 100 percent with you, just wanted to see because some one said being a christian would have nothing to do with a date or effect it, i agree its a 50/50 some are hardcore some are down to earth, but i was specificly talking about the hardcore christian

[Beckys_Mom]

I say, you cannot help who you fall in love with...

Many Christians have hooked up and been most happy with atheists and people from other walks of life... When it comes to true love and companionship, the religious nature doesn't always come into it.. They will love each other enough to respect one and others religious nature or lack of it..

To me, its it not the faith one has in religion or any holy book that makes them the person they are... For example, I have met some really arrogant Christians, and at the same time I met some really down to earth fun loving christians, I peg this down to their own true nature and not a spiritual path they chose..

Many Christians who have stuck with their own kind, don't always pan out as well as they thought, again that points to ones nature...

I come from a mixed family ( Catholic and Protestant ) and when I met my husband, I found he was a protestant, it did not bother me.. I fell for him, who he was as a person... I cannot help myself, that's how it all goes... We cannot possibly chose who we fall for, it just happens .... I know of a few Christians on UM that know me for my skeptic views about their faith, but these same people I class as friends and I have stuck with them as a friend.....

I never really met an atheist until I came here...I made friends with a few of them too...

[kannin]

I say, you cannot help who you fall in love with...

Many Christians have hooked up and been most happy with atheists and people from other walks of life... When it comes to true love and companionship, the religious nature doesn't always come into it.. They will love each other enough to respect one and others religious nature or lack of it..

To me, its it not the faith one has in religion or any holy book that makes them the person they are... For example, I have met some really arrogant Christians, and at the same time I met some really down to earth fun loving christians, I peg this down to their own true nature and not a spiritual path they chose..

Many Christians who have stuck with their own kind, don't always pan out as well as they thought, again that points to ones nature...

I come from a mixed family ( Catholic and Protestant ) and when I met my husband, I found he was a protestant, it did not bother me.. I fell for him, who he was as a person... I cannot help myself, that's how it all goes... We cannot possibly chose who we fall for, it just happens .... I know of a few Christians on UM that know me for my skeptic views about their faith, but these same people I class as friends and I have stuck with them as a friend.....

I never really met an atheist until I came here...I made friends with a few of them too...

yeah i guess love at first sight doesnt aply when it comes to religion and dating

yeah i guess love at first sight doesnt aply when it comes to religion and dating

i just do believe that religion can slightly effect a first date

[spartan max2]

From my experience religion doesn't cause any difference in dating. At least in the west.

[+Paranoid Android]

Christians who take their beliefs seriously (as opposed to those who are nominally Christian because they were born into it) will pose certain different issues than a non-Christian. For some people these issues could be problematic. You see, the Bible says nothing about dating, so when a Christian goes into a date they are thinking in terms of long term marriage (though it would be the seriously brave or stupid Christian to bring up marriage on a first date - they might not be compatible, so they might just be trying to have fun). For a non-Christian, a date might just be for a bit of fun with no intention of future contact.

On a small matter, dinner with a Christian might mean an uncomfortable moment where the Christian is praying for the food. It might not be in-your-face like a "let's hold hands and pray to Juh-eesus". When I go out to dinner as a group with Christan and non-Christian friends, I note that as the food comes out the Christians will somehow disengage with conversation for 30 seconds and just stare into space. In a group setting this isn't awkward because if you aren't looking for it you don't know it's happening. In a one-on-one date you don't have that luxury.

And saving the biggest issue for last -sex. A committed Christian is going to bewaiting for marriage before sex. Is a non-Christian dating a Christian willing to wait that long? Especially if it's a long engagement?

These aren't impossible obstacles, some are frivolous some are bigger, and some haven't been mentioned because they deal more with marriage than dating) but they are all things to consider when a Christian and non-Christian date.