What to do if you're a Christian in love with an atheist? Religious-right pooh-bah Pat Robertson offers relationship advice:
"There is no fellowship between an atheist and somebody who is a believer in God. . . . You've got to go find somebody else. Really. I mean either he changes and gives his heart to the Lord, or you go down the road with somebody else. But there is no fellowship between Christ and Belial. I mean, he's going to be serving the Devil. You're going to be serving God. Just that simple. And there'll be conflicts and fighting all the time. There is no middle ground. There is no peace in that situation."
To read a response to Pat Robertson's comments by the American Atheists, click here.
Remember, here you have a single Christian asking another Christian for Christian (biblically- based) relationship advice, and the Bible says that Christians cannot, and should not, marry non-believers, whether that Non-Christian person is an atheist, Muslim, Hindu, New Ager, Wiccan, or whatever.
I don't always agree with Robertson on all topics, but on this one, he is biblically correct, and all he's doing is quoting from the Bible (2 Corinthians 6:14-15 specifically), so I don't understand all the Robertson-bashing going on in the thread here on this point.
2 Corinthians 6:14-15 advises Christians:
"Do not be yoked together [i.e., married] with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial[a] [Satan, the Devil]? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? "
Someone below sort of muddies the issue by talking about an atheist (or Non Christian) being married to a Christian - that verse is talking about marriage after the fact: you have a marriage that begins with two Non Christians, but while they are married, one of them becomes a believer.
It seems that whomever wrote Robertson was not already married; she was saying, "I am a single person who is considering marrying an atheist person, is that supported in the Bible?" And Robertson was quite right by telling her the biblical answer to that question is a resounding "No."
It's not a whole lot different from the Old Testament instructions from God to the Jews that they were to marry only fellow Jews.
"If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband."
If there is no conflict and the relationship is healthy, then marriage is okay, it seems.
jci2298, Your bible passage applies only in a case where you have a couple of atheists who are already married and AFTER they get married, one converts and becomes a Christian.
In that case, the Bible says the newly converted Christian should stay with the Non Christian and not divorce him/her, but if the Non Christian wants out of the marriage, to let them go.
However, the Bible tells single Christians (ones not already married) that they are not permitted to marry non-Christians, (whether those Non Christians are atheist, Muslim, Hindu, New Age, Wiccan, etc.)
It doesn't matter what kind of Non-Christian the person in question is, so I find it strange that a lot of atheists are taking it personally.
Robertson would have given her the same advice had the woman said her boyfriend is a Wiccan, Druid, Muslim, etc., he still would have reminded her that the New Testament of the Bible says that marriage is not permitted between believer and non believer.
Robertson was quoting from this part of the Bible, and he was quite right to do so:
2 Corinthians 6:14-15 advises Christians:
"Do not be yoked together [i.e., married] with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial[a] [Satan, the Devil]? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? "
Pat Robertson has shown himself to be a lunatic fundamentalist, and to me he has lost any credibility he ever had. Mr. Robertson, you do NOT speak for all Christians . As a Christian myself, I believe in Jesus' teaching that LOVE is the whole of the Law. Your hateful, vengeful Pharisee viewpoint is so off base it's not even funny. Jesus warned us about Pharisees and false prophets and wolves in sheep's clothing. Fundamentalism is showing itself for the false and dangerous prophecy it really is. "Not all who come in my Name represent me" is a Bible verse that's worth quoting.
K, I don't always agree with Robertson, but the advice he gave the woman was straight from the Bible (see 2 Corinthians 6:13-15 - Christians are not permitted to marry non-Christians), so how was what he told the woman "unloving?"
How can you claim to be a Christian and yet deny the truth of 2 Corinthians 6:13-15?
Jesus/God is not all about love all the time; you need a balance there. God is a God of love, but He is also a God of justice, and He frowns on sin - He sent His son to die on the cross because of it. God may love people, but He does not, will not, and cannot turn a blind eye to sin.
to Pat Robertson anymore. he has lost credibility with all sides in his fight against everything..
http://whatisthebible.com/2010/01/25/pat-robertson-curses-christianity.aspx
Wow, that was painful but I had to say it.
Can they marry each other? Sure, if they respect each other's values and traditions. For example, if the Christian partner wants to celebrate Christmas and Easter in traditional ways and the atheist parter is ok with it, what's the problem?
But relationships between two people with vastly different world views, value systems, and traditions generally don't work out too well.
It's between the two people. If they're cool with what the other believes, where's the problem? When it comes to human relationships, religion and atheism aren't mutually exclusive.
The Bible forbids Christians from marrying Non Christians, 2 Corinthians 6:13-15 discusses this, and I believe there is one other New Testament passage that also addresses the issue.
Atheists are not necessarily devil worshipers. They don't believe in anything, so by default they don't believe in Satan.
Of course there are people who say they're atheists so they can do anything they want without thought to morality. Likewise there are people who call themselves Christians just so they can feel important and point at others and say "sinner." But I think there are true believers and non-believers in this world. And true Atheists won't worship Satan or anything else.
By the way, Satanism is one of the most boring religions in the world.
The Bible forbids Christians from marrying Non-Christians (2 Corinthians 6:13-15).
The Bible says if you are not a follower of Jesus Christ, you are in essence, by default, following Satan in a manner, whether you believe in Satan or not, and whether you acknowledge such a being exists or not.
Which doesn't mean you necessarily wear dark hooded cloaks and sacrifice people and animals to Satan under a full moon, which is unfortunately what many Non Christians think when they hear Christians say, "If you're not a Christian you're following Satan."
When Christians say Non-Christians (even those who practice witchcraft) follow Satan and the world system, they are not saying you wear pentagrams and sacrifice goats.
You are under Satan's control and influence whether you realize it or not.
As for this comment,
"Likewise there are people who call themselves Christians just so they can feel important and point at others and say "sinner.""
It seems to me you have a poor grasp of what Christianity is.
All people, including Christians are "sinners."
When Christians mention that someone else is a "sinner," most of them are not doing so out of pride (although I have met a few who do regretably have a terrible attitude such as that).
It's a fact that all of us are sinners, and as such, we are separated from God, unless we accept God's remedy of the situation (which would be the gift of salvation via His son, Jesus Christ).
Christians are forgiven sinners, while Non-Christians remain UN-forgiven sinners, which is simply what the Bible teaches on the topic; it is not said by Christians out of pride or arrogance.
Anyone can become a Christian, it's not limited to only a special group of elite people.