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Home › Articles › Personal and Couple Time › Considering Religion Before Starting a Family

Considering Religion Before Starting a Family

How Will You Raise Your Kids?

By Lisa A. Goldstein

Pages:  1  2  3  4  

Putting a Plan in Action
If a couple doesn't have a religion as their own but wants one, they should "shop around" and try different religious services and see if any are appealing, says Friedland. She recommends talking to rabbis, ministers or priests, as well as friends. "It is important to feel comfortable in the religious community you choose," she says. "It is more than just a religion, but a religious community."

If you're actually planning to convert or adopt another religion, keep in mind that there are classes and time commitments involved. If you plan to baptize your baby, for example, and you're not Catholic, it's not as easy as showing up to a church one afternoon and asking a priest. Many churches insist on some sort of classes, and in some, an attendance requirement must be met.

Couples with differences need to consider all possibilities, including blending religious traditions in order to reach a workable place, says Tessina. "Faith is so important to one's sense of well-being and inner strength," she says. "Every religion has stories about people whose faith brought them through hard times, and hearing such stories helps."

Respecting the Results
You can make whatever decision you want – to raise the children in a faith or keep them away from it, says Tessina. If you're lukewarm about religion or if you are more spiritual, it shouldn't be too big a question. But if religion is important to one or both of you, or if one is an atheist or averse toward the other's religion, you have a couple of choices. You can blend your religions into a new version that suits both of you or find a new faith that will accommodate both of your beliefs.


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