Religious views on interfaith relationships

An interfaith marriage is a marriage between two different faiths. Some interfaith marriages involve conversion, assimilation, and ostracism. However, different religions have their own opinions of how an individual should treat an interfaith relationship.

Here are the religious reviews on interfaith relationships.

Christianity – is the world's biggest religion, with about 2.1 billion followers worldwide. It is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ who lived in the Holy Land 2,000 years ago. Different denominations of Christianity practice their own set of rules and dictates for interfaith marriages. In recent times, Christianity has grown liberal towards interfaith unions.

Islam – is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion articulated by the Qur'an, an Islamic holy book considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God (Allāh), Islamic women are not allowed to marry outside the faith. The men are often granted permission to wed non-Islamic partners but conversion is often a pre-condition. Also, it is mandatory that the children are to be raised as Muslims.

Sikhism - was founded in the Punjab by Guru Nanak in the 15th Century CE and is a monotheistic religion. Sikhs think religion should be practised by living in the world and coping with life's everyday problems. Interfaith is not seen as committing a sin, but Sikhs believe marrying within the same religion gives a better scope and success of marriage. Although, one can marry out of the religion the wedding ceremony itself cannot be held in their Gurdwara because it is considered spiritual and sacred.

Hinduism – is the religion of the majority of people in India and Nepal. It also exists among significant populations outside of the sub continent and has over 900 million adherents worldwide. Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings. Traditional Hinduism does not allow for religious conversion. In theory, non-Hindu spouses are welcome since religion is only considered as a means to understanding the Divine truth. In practice, however, Hindus are often orthodox and rigid and interfaith marriages are prohibited.

Zoroastrianism – is one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions. It was founded by the Prophet Zoroaster in ancient Iran approximately 3500 years ago. The Zoroastrian faith is quite rigid in disallowing interfaith marriages. Followers of Zoroastrianism who marry outside the faith risk being expelled from all religious services and rites. Often their children are also not allowed to participate in religious activities.

Judaism – is one of the oldest monotheistic religions and was founded over 3500 years ago in the Middle East. Traditional or Orthodox Judaism does not support interfaith marriages. With time, the evolution of Conservative Judaism was more accommodating of gentile spouses in the hope that they could be converted into the faith. While modern-day liberal Rabbis are willing to officiate at interfaith marriages, the couples are often persuaded to raise Jewish children.