Would you date a very religious person?

How are we defining "very religious"?GabuEx

I would define a very religious person as someone whose religion is the primary focus of her life.

If shes hot then why not?

Now if you ask me "will I marry a very religious person?" then the answer is "no chance in hell".

I can marry a somewhat religious person but not a very religious one. Obviously the ideal is a non-religious person but I live in a religious culture so I have to dream realistically.

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]How are we defining "very religious"?Genetic_Code

I would define a very religious person as someone whose religion is the primary focus of her life.

Well someone whose religion is the primary focus of her life can be manifest in many different ways.  Does it compel her to give to charity?  To pray every hour?  To treat others as Jesus treated them?  To go to church every day?  Just knowing that her religion is the primary focus of her life doesn't give that much information. Their respective religions were/are the primary focus of both Pope John Paul II and Fred Phelps.

If shes hot then why not?

Gambler_3

It's highly unlikely she would agree to sleep with you because of her religion. The only real benefit her appearance can provide is eye and arm candy. I doubt many people on this board want to get married, which is why I phrased the question in terms of dating. I might date a religious person to see if the shoe fits, but I do not plan on marrying her unless I can get over that barrier. However, I know that logically that barrier exists for a really good reason. We shouldn't be with each other if we have different religious beliefs.

Well someone whose religion is the primary focus of her life can be manifest in many different ways.  Does it compel her to give to charity?  To pray every hour?  To treat others as Jesus treated them?  To go to church every day?  Just knowing that her religion is the primary focus of her life doesn't give that much information. Religion is the primary focus of both Pope John Paul II and Fred Phelps.

GabuEx

Christianity's a perfect example of this. As you are well aware, Luke 14:26 says, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children,and brethren,and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." This means that Jesus wants to let go of our family and ourselves in order to be his disciple. That is simply something I cannot do unless of course there was an actual heaven to sacrifice your family and yourself for.

You'll be surprised how many burqa wearing women in pakistan do pre-marital sex. Most people's beliefs are not strong enough to resist the power of love and serious lust. Infact I would love to go in the bed of a very protective hot religious women. Doing it after doing alot of effort to convince her would be something you are never gonna enjoy with a liberal women.

Unfortunately my morals dont letme do any false commitments to women so I'll prolly never be sleeping with a very religious women but it is possible before marriage if you are willing to lie...

Yes, there are different religions and different interpretations, it still doesn't change the fact that a religious person cares more about her religion than herself or her husband.

Christianity's a perfect example of this. As you are well aware, Luke 14:26 says, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children,and brethren,and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." This means that Jesus wants to let go of our family and ourselves in order to be his disciple. That is simply something I cannot do unless of course there was an actual heaven to sacrifice your family and yourself for.

Genetic_Code

But that still doesn't answer the question regarding in what way she cares about her religion above anything else.

If it makes her want to force me to go along with tons of rituals like going to church, praying all the time, and so forth, then that would be an obvious deal-breaker.

If it makes her want nothing more than to be like Jesus and do charitable work, I'd probably happily do it with her.

The quality of being "very religious" seems very ill-defined in terms of the actual relevant qualities it implies about a person and the way in which they interact with you.

But that still doesn't answer the question regarding in what way she cares about her religion above anything else.

If it makes her want to force me to go along with tons of rituals like going to church, praying all the time, and so forth, then that would be an obvious deal-breaker.

If it makes her want nothing more than to be like Jesus and do charitable work, I'd probably happily do it with her.

The quality of being "very religious" seems very ill-defined in terms of the actual relevant qualities it implies about a person and the way in which they interact with you.

GabuEx

The reason why in what way will she act cannot be determined is because there are a variety of religions, a variety of denominations, and a variety of interpretations. However, you can determine if someone's a fraud by how accurately they portray their religion and how they live it. That's why I wouldn't want to date a semireligious person, because they're living a half-lie. I wouldn't even date a person who believes in God but is not religious anyway, because just to believe in God means that you have to give yourself up for him. If God is the most powerful being of the universe, he demands to be worshiped.

Even if I were to accept someone's religious beliefs as "just their opinion" and date them because I love them, no matter how irrational it may be to love them, I wouldn't want my wife to go to church all by herself. Now, I do not know if the Bible says anything requiring someone to go to church. Joshua 24:15 says, "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." See, if I were a Christian or a Jew, I would want someone would serves the same Abrahamic God as I do and I would want to raise children that serve the Abrahamic God because the Bible tells me to. As such, instances in which we worship God, which would be in church, I would have to have the whole family come with me. When you think about it, attending church is not an individual experience. It is an experience for the entire family. It's suited for that reason. See, the ultimate reason why I wouldn't date a Christian wife, whether very religious or semi-religious, is because I would feel that I would have to be obligated to attend church with her and the children, if she decides to take them along. Now, I used a Christian wife as an example, but I'm sure you can find similar sentiments in many other faiths, particularly the Abrahamic ones.

Furthermore, my naturalism is what appeals to me and what makes me search for ethical insights on how to live my life. I do not reject religion because it's simply uncomfortable to me. I reject religion because it's dogmatic and no way to life your life. If I want my naturalism to be a part of every experience of my life, then I would only expect the same for someone who I chose to share my life with.

Ayn Rand said it perfectly, "A man's sexual choice is the result and the sum of his fundamental convictions. Tell me what a man finds sexually attractive and I will tell you his entire philosophy of life." If I were to date a religious person, I would simply be a wolf in sheep's clothing for sleeping with the enemy. An atheist who sleeps with a theist does not value his atheism. In fact, it wouldn't be hard to convince this man that there is a God if he's so willing to sacrifice his ideals for pleasure. It's too easy to sell your soul, but to keep it is a much harder task.

Heh, just two days ago I told a girl who liked me that I will always have Jesus as my priority and if that is not the case with her, then we can simply not have a serious relationship.  I refuse to be in a situation where I must choose between God and a girl, I'd much rather remain single or find a girl who also prioritizes Christ in her life.  In other words, I have the opposite problem. :P

Like GabuEx said, depends on what way they are very religious.

If they are very religious as in, they follow every bit of the Bible then no I wouldnt (well obviously since he himself would be a closeted and celibate homosexual).

If they are very religious as in, they feel very strongly about those parts of the Bible they follow then I probably wouldnt have a problem but from there it would also depend which parts of the Bible they follow.

But like I have said in the past I would love to date a generally religious person. It would help me to provide a counterweight for my own mindset.

I'm rather glad this topic came up, as I have been thinking about it the last couple days, what with going back to school and all. It's rather difficult to find any non-religious girls in the middle of Texas. :P Of the two atheist girls I do know (the only two I know of at all in my high school) one I don't care for and the other is a friend but not an attraction.

 I do not think it would be possible for me to be in a serious relationship with a religious person. Atheism, although in itself not a philosophy or lifestyle, has a big effect on how I think and how I act in my life. Philosophy and psychology are things I am hugely interested in, and I would love to discuss with people close to me, and have them form an understanding as well. My views on both subjects are influenced by the lack of gods in my reality.

I'm not sure Icould ultimately relate to a religious person.

Really the only option I have to consider is a single one of my attractions, who states she doesn't really care about religion. But simply not caring about a subject I have invested many weeks into might not be the best relation. :/ She might change, however.

I'd like to have friends more apt to discuss things with and just forget all this relationship baloney. :)

It's possible. I would ask her some questions on our dates to see how dogmatic she is. Her faith wouldn't bother me as long as she gave me some breathing room. I would not agree to convert or to let my child be indoctrinated. I suspect that it would be an uphill battle to try and get her family comfortable with me, but I'm confident that I could open their minds if I am patient.

I have dated religious people, but I married an atheist. I dated a Christian woman for 5 years.

Dating people is a means of interacting with others and finding out about yourself. Why impose any limits?

I doubt any religious person would date, but sure, why not? :Pghoklebutter

It probably would be hard to date some Islamic women, on account of what they wear and the strength of the faith that discourages trans-faith dating. Having said that, I did have the good fortune to get to know a hijab-wearing colleague, while driving her to a regular weekly seminar during my teacher training year.

We did get to know each other well and still keep in occasional touch. We spent the car journey discussing our lives, beliefs and outlooks - as well as our teaching progress and the nature of school-children. I found the Islamic stuff totally fascinating. I remember her lending me a book on "science as foretold in the Quran", which I read feverishly. I also remember her grace in my rationalising of the dodgy inductive reasoning used in that book and my espousing the benefits of democracy in general.

I also came to appreciate the difficulty there is living in one culture while operating in another one. The cohesion of families and communities in upholding religious views is so hard to escape. Perhaps it was my atheist infidel corruption, but she always used our trips as a chance to smoke cigs in the car while openingly discussing our personal, religious and professional views.