'Til faith do us part : how interfaith marriage is transforming America

Summary: In the first decade of the twenty-first century, 45% of all marriages in the U.S. were between people of different faiths. The rapidly growing number of mixed-faith families has become a source of hope, encouraging openness and tolerance among religious communities that historically have been insular and suspicious of other faiths. Yet as the author demonstrates in this book, what is good for society as a whole often proves difficult for individual families. Interfaith couples, the book shows, may be less happy than other couples, and certain combinations of religions are more likely to lead to divorce. Drawing on in-depth interviews with married and once-married couples, clergy, counselors, sociologists, and others, the author shows that many people enter into interfaith marriages without much consideration of the fundamental spiritual, doctrinal, and practical issues that divide them. Even when they recognize deeply held differences, some couples believe that love conquers all. As a result, they might fail to ask the necessary questions about how they will reconcile their divergent worldviews - about raising children, celebrating holidays, interacting with extended families, and more. An obsession with tolerance at all costs, the author argues, has made discussing the problems of interfaith marriage taboo. This book is an exploration of the promise and peril of interfaith marriage today.