Keeping a Marriage Together When Your Spouse Decides Against Religion

Oftentimes, marriages are based on a foundation of religion. True believers will follow the Bible's teachings and only marry someone of like faith. This makes a harmonious core to the union as well as the family when children come along. Unfortunately, there are times when one spouse or the other becomes disillusioned with their religion. It may be caused by a Pastor they can't see eye-to-eye with, or maybe a tragedy has taken place in their life that they are blaming God for. Whatever the reason, this decision can cause issues in even the strongest marriage.

Chances are good that a couple which finds itself in this position which is shaking their relationship down to its basic core will have difficulties understanding each other. The two people are violating one of the areas which they had in common. This can make the spouse who's still attending church feel alone and abandoned. Even if your spouse may give validity to your decision to stop going to church, he or she isn't going to understand. To some people, church attendance is as natural and necessary to life as breathing. They were raised to believe that it was a part of all solid marriages, and when their spouse wants to give up on religion, it's almost like he or she is giving up on their marriage.

There are ways to counteract the effects of one spouse's lack of religious fervor, however. For the most part, these efforts are the same ones that you need to make for any healthy marriage. Start out by having a true commitment to your marriage, no matter what happens. If you truly love your spouse, you need to expect to adapt throughout the years to changes that are going to take place and to accept them when they happen. Just as you need to adjust to your spouse's aging body and changes in interests over the years, you also need to learn tolerance when he or she makes a major decision, such as the discontinuation of religion.

Communication is crucial to any successful relationship, and never so much as when you're going through a period of transition. Keep your conversations blame-free and non-accusing while you discuss the reasons why your spouse feels the way they do as well as your own feelings about what is taking place. Losing your temper will not help the situation at all, so be sure to keep your cool no matter how vehemently you may oppose the step your loved one has taken. It's going to take some effort to get through this change, but it can be done.