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Lifestyle Reporters
There are so many ways how various religious groupings treat the subject of dating in their congregations with some insisting that their siblings can only marry those from their churches and oppose inter-faith unions.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 16 states that men and women who have attained the age of majority have the right to marry “without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion”.
In the Apostolic sect in Zimbabwe, especially Johanne Marange, prophets have visions in which they are shown a certain girl who is to become a wife to a man in the same congregation and this is usually in a polygamous relationship.
In the Seventh Day Adventist Church the pastor plays the matchmaker. He calls a girl and tells her that a certain suitor within the church likes her and they don’t normally oppose this.
ZAOGA and AFM organise youth outings for young adults in the same church to meet and confess their love for each other.
Jehovah’s Witness rules are that you have to date someone from the congregation and if not so you will be given a punishment.
There is an unwritten law preventing Jewish communities from integrating and merging with surrounding populations around the world. Interfaith and intercaste marriages are common in India, but to a lesser extent in the rural areas where Hinduism is prevalent.
There are many social rules surrounding marriage and individuals are under enormous pressure to marry within their caste and religion. To break such rules could cost the support of friends, family, and community: a heavy price in such a community-oriented society.
The Catholic Church has specific canon laws dealing with the case of mixed marriages (marriages between a Catholic and a baptised person outside the church) and does not recognise marriages outside the church. In other congregations there is a distinction between inter-denominational and interfaith marriages and some Christian sects may extend their own rules and practices to include other denominations as well.
Islamic women are by law prohibited to marry outside their religion and they are generally expected to follow the strict rules. According to the Bahá’í Faith, all religions are inspired by God, therefore interfaith marriage is allowed.
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