Can a believer have a family with an atheist? The priest answered
The viceroy of the monastery explained how to preserve the union if the spouses have different views on God, and why in this case the rule of the “small church” works.
Love rarely asks about religion. But what if one spouse regularly goes to church, and the other considers religion a relic of the past? Abbot Bartholomew (Kolomatsky) shared his view on this delicate situation.
Ideally, the family should be a “small church” where husband and wife are united in their spiritual orientation. If the worldview does not coincide, it is really difficult to build a harmonious union. However, life dictates its own rules: sometimes people marry for love, not attaching importance to faith, or one spouse finds God after the wedding, while the second remains in doubt.
Abbot Bartholomew recalls an important biblical principle: a believer should not leave an unbelieving spouse. Through the sincere faith of one person, the whole family is spiritually sanctified and blessed.
How do you save that marriage? The key lies in sacrificial love and patience. The priest advises not to put pressure on the partner and not to arrange endless religious disputes. Instead, a believing spouse should simply live by the commandments.
When a person sees that his other half, thanks to faith, becomes kinder, more honest, calmer and more caring, any inner resistance melts away. The “good fruits” of church life speak louder than words. Sooner or later, this sincere change awakens a healthy interest in the unbelieving partner and a desire to touch the faith himself, the priest said on Sputnik radio.
