How we are approaching raising an interfaith child?
We are an interfaith couple.Deciding to date and the BIG day of our wedding was the start of a lifelong series of decisions made around religion.
Even before we fell pregnant with Miss M, our adorable munchkin; the most common and frequent question we got was, “How will you raise your child, Christian or Hindu?”
Some interfaith couples eventually choose a primary faith to raise their children, we decided to raise her to “Be Both Religions”. I am indian and Jason is white, which makes Miss M half indian and half white, so why can’t the same ideology be applied to her religious identity?
We were raised to respect different religions and understand that the values are ultimately the same. The basis of our interfaith household is the Religion of Love and the Hands that Serve are Holier than the Hands that Pray. Simple…right? Children need simple and consistency. Love & Serve can easily be practiced on a daily basis, you don’t need to be in church or a temple to do this. Some may not call us religious but we do encourage and practice a spiritual lifestyle.
We celebrate both traditions across our beliefs. Diwali is celebrated by lighting clay lamps called Diyas, while we also celebrate Christmas with the decorating of a Christmas tree.
By no means am I saying that this is a simple journey to bring together different religions for our children, it’s complex and Miss M is likely to tear open this concept with lots of questions and discussions about religion. It’s not a perfectly packaged answer, however it’s a spiritual journey that enlightens her view on the world and how practicing key values will define you and not which idol you worship or place of worship you attend.
We live in hope that her belief is ultimately based on the spiritual unity of all beings embodied by Love. Unity is the secret ingredient of social progress, and service to society is the means to encourage it.
God is love, live in love quoted from Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
