Till Faith Do Us Part …: Relation Between Religious Affiliation and Attitudes Toward Cross-Cultural and Interfaith Dating and Marriage

Abstract

This article addresses the relationship between religious and=or cultural affiliation and attitudes toward cross-cultural and interfaith relationships among university students in Australia. The questions of interest were as follows:(1) what is the relationship between the three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and attitudes toward interfaith dating and marriages, and (2) how do the participants perceive their religious backgrounds to impact on their decisions to enter or avoid cross-cultural and interfaith relationships? Using semistructured interviews, qualitative data were gathered from 57 students (42 women, 15 men, mean age 21.9 [SD 8.8]). The findings suggest that university students in Australia (Jewish, Christian, and Muslim) are generally disinclined to engage in a cross-cultural or interfaith relationship. Only some participants in the present study were open to engaging in a cross-cultural and interfaith relationship, provided the partner was neither too religious nor demanded for the participants to change in any way. However, none of these participants was actively searching for a partner of a different culture or faith. Finally, there was a clear reluctance by non-Muslim participants to be with a Muslim partner.

Mate preference priorities in the East and West: A cross‐cultural test of the mate preference priority model

“…Religion is a highly assortative trait (Watson et al, ), and a small amount of commitment to the same religion may indicate that a partner's belief system is compatible with one's own, compared to following a different denomination or being irreligious. Having a partner with similar religious views can be important in cultures where intra‐faith marriage is the norm (Shenhav, Campos, & Goldberg, ; Yahya & Boag, ). However, increases in religiosity beyond this level may not yield the same benefits.…”

The role of religion and culture on student attitudes in science learning

“…This research can also be a reference for science teachers to incorporate cultural and religious aspects into their daily lives in the science learning process. This is different from the research fromYahya & Boag (2014) which examines that religiosity can be associated with more specific things such as marriage.This research basically has a real contribution to science learning, especially in the religious aspects of culture, and attitudes towards science. This research is useful for teachers to find out how science learning can be carried out efficiently or effectively(Kamid et al, 2021).…”

‘Sadly, Not All Love Affairs Are Meant To Be … ’ Attitudes Towards Interfaith Relationships in a Conflict Zone

“…For example, in accordance to the diminishing of anti-miscegenation laws in most countries (Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 1967;Novkov 2008), interfaith marriages continue to exist (Clark 2006;Lara and Onedera 2008;Goli et al 2013). As a result, these heterogamous relationships, though less common in the past (see Hollingshead 1950;Thomas 1951;Locke et al 1957), have generally increased in frequency in recent years (Joyner and Kao 2005) although barriers amongst different religions and societies persist (Martin et al 2003;Reiter et al 2005;Smooha 2010;Yahya and Boag 2014a).…”

“…For example, it is not yet known whether interfaith relationships thrive or suffer in areas of war or conflict. Although interfaith relationships have been found to be avoided more compared to cross-cultural relationships (see Yahya and Boag 2014a;Yahya and Boag 2014b), it would be interesting to investigate whether negative attitudes towards interfaith relationships are even more pronounced in Israel, where the current conflict may increase tensions between Muslims and Jews. In addition to the fear they may endure as a result of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, they may be more prone to emotional and psychological distress as a result of engaging in an interfaith relationship.…”

“…Previous studies suggest that religious teachings and cultural tradition play a role in educating and dictating to individuals whom they shall and shall not marry (Marshall and Markstorm-Adams 1995;Leeman 2009;Cila and Lalonde 2013;Yahya and Boag 2014a;Yahya and Boag 2014b). In terms of religion, for instance, the three primary monotheistic religions of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism all forbid interfaith and cross-cultural marriages to some extent (Marshall and Markstorm-Adams 1995;Leeman 2009;Cila and Lalonde 2013;Yahya and Boag 2014a;Yahya and Boag 2014b). Unlike the present study, existing research is limited and mainly focuses on investigating intermarriage between different streams of the same faith (e.g.…”