ifnotsonot

The girl just asked a simple question about getting married, now you guys have just about mapped out her worst nightmare. Give it a break will you.

Marriage is a serious challenge at the best of times, we all know that, but i know innumerable Krsna devotee marriages that have been total disasters and I've come to the conclusion there is no magic formula.

I think if you both love God in your own way and there is respect for each other as a child or servant of God, it will go a long way to a successful union, keeping you both happy with each other, still there are so many other tangibles and hurdles to overcome but that's just par for the coarse. Mind you I'm no marriage councillor nor any of the others giving advice here.

Regarding deity worship... it isn't imperitive to serve deities, many devotees choose not to, it's just a nice way to focus a families attention to a common centre especially kids because it is tangible.

But you can grow with the Lord in your heart and teach your children that God is everywhere in every atom, in others hearts also whether they be Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim or atheist which can be a lot healthier than just limiting Him to one deity. This is a more advanced consciousness anyway. If he's open to the other concessions thats a lot to work with.

Maybe with time your love for Krsna and your husband will melt his heart and he'll change when his fears are allayed.

It takes time to understand the Lord in Deity form.

Try not to be confused by so many opinions as well meaning as we all may be.

Just try to sincerely pray to the Lord in your heart if you don't have a guru to guide you. And the answers will come to you, don't stress it.

Hare Krsna

I agree with you, I enterted this realtionship knowing that we both love God in our own way. Somewhere in my heart, my intuition tells me that with time, we willoth have an understanding of our religions and be able to live happily. As such I feel our biggest problem will not be him and I, and "our" differences, we are both afraid, that our families, will try to influence each of us.

This is going to be a huge step, I am telling my parenst about him this weekend. Please pray for me, I need all the strength & courage I can get.

hare Krrsna

So am I too naive to think, since I am true to my religion & my God. Since I know what I will do as a Krishna devotee, as a mother and as a good wife, I should really just leave the rest to Krishna, and that he will guide me through it all.

Krishna is in my heart, and through my love and my love for him I am deciding to gain the strength to do this? Is that so wrong?

To answer a guest question, am I attracted to material things about this man, No. I would not have agreed to take this step was it just material things. With time I have seen a chnage in him, don't get me worng he is not against my religion, or crticizing it, he unlike other Christians, and against christian beliefs, admires my religion, and is constantly making efforts to understand it better.

Im caught in a very tough situation, when i look deep in my heart and when i completly detach myself from all emotions and try thinking realistically, I dont in any way feel threatened, or feel like im going to be loosing out on my religion, or for that matter that I may have to give it up someday. Something, call it intuition of some kind says, things will be ok, and we will come to a mutual understading....its almost as if, we force oursleves to imagine the worst because thats how we have trained oursleves...and then again I ask, am i being too naive?

Thank you so much everyone for your insight.

My boyfriend is opposed to the idea of deity worship as he says according to Christian belief, they are not to worship idols or what we call deitys. He asks, "how can a man create a figure of God? and then pray to it? \

as far as my vegetarian life style, doing my japs, and having pictures in an album, The Gita, litreature of anykind as someon suggested are all something he is very open to.

This is ignorance on my end, so I ask all of you? To be Krishna conscious, does one have to have a deity? I am really torn...he is a very accepting and accomadating guy, but at some point i think he feels he has to follow his religion, also he too is completly against displayinf pictures of Christ even in his present home.

:confused:

Hare Krishna,

I have decide to register on this site as I am searching for some insight, on some serious issues in my life. I am a krishna devotee, religion has played an important part in my life. A year a go I am in a long term realtionship with a Christian guy. We both have an understnading of where each of us stands as far a religion is concerned. The both of us have also taken time to learn about each other religions as well as often accompnay each other to temple & church.

The topic of marriage is now getting more serious. I have no doubt in my mind that he is the one i want to marry. We have both taked about being free to practise our religions with the understanding that the children will be taught and given an understanding of God and each parents outlook and perspective.

The only this that he has asked of me is that we both agree not to display religious idols, pictures, ie idols or in his case the crucifix. I know Krishna is in my heart, but if i agree to this will i be going against our religious beliefs.

If someone could please shead some light in this matter.

Hare Krishna