Cross-cultural relationships- New Age and Muslim

[chelsea]

Heya.
I am an aware being with an appreciation and respect for all faiths. Personally my orientation is very open and feel I have a different connection to faith, rather than religiously based. However, my hubbie is a muslim, borna nd raised in Libya. We have a very strong connection, but would love to hear of any other sisters out there who have similiar cross-cultural relationships. Does it get easier? Any Young couples about with bub in south Qld and Northern NSW?
Saleem.

[~Harmony~]

Any Young couples about with bub in south Qld and Northern NSW?

There are a few of us - are you coastal or inland? I'm inland

Can't really help with the relationship qu though, hubby and I are on the same page there, so to speak

[Eilleen]

We are a mixed bag of cultures here!

My husband is half German, half Dutch. He was baptised Roman Catholic, raised in an agnostic environment and is now an atheist.

I am Filipino. Born and spent my early childhood in the Philippines. My childhood was spent in a very strict Roman Catholic environment but relaxed a lot when my family moved away from extended family to come to Australia. I am now Buddhist.

We have had little trouble, though cultural misunderstandings do happen every now and then.... then again, I think that its normal for misunderstandings to happen in every relationship - I just happen to label some of those misunderstandings as cultural ones.

Sometimes, it does mean though that we have to bend quite a bit regarding our cultural and religious identity and what we teach our children.

[emd]

Hello, I was going to reply when this was first posted but I really had to finish holiday packing...

I think it helps if you can talk openly with each other about your beliefs, and respect each other's choices. What's really tricky is how to guide your children's spiritual beliefs. I find it hard to get compromises on our children's spiritual upbringing because I don't openly practise my beliefs, but DH is very open about his own.

I was raised in a very strict Catholic family, but I am now polytheistic (works well with a mix of Catholicism and Buddhist practise). DH was raised in a strict evangelical Christian family, and still practises his own beliefs. My sister is still a practising Catholic, married to a practising Muslim who was not born in Australia and has a very strictly religious/cultural family. You can imagine what our Christmas dinner was like

[chelsea]

I am coastal. Hassan and I are great partners I think we are able to show each otehr the strengths of the other, I guess its the cultural aspects more than anything.