“Ask a Priest: Would I Risk My Soul If I Marry a Muslim?”

Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Ask a Priest
Q: I’m in love with a Muslim and I’m a Christian. We want to get married, but I’m scared I’ll end up in hell because of it. Will I? – A.P.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: If you are concerned about how an interfaith marriage might impact your salvation, it is good that you are facing that issue now.

You don’t mention whether you are Catholic. Here, I will offer a Catholic perspective, which you might find helpful.

The Catholic Church doesn’t encourage its members to marry outside the faith, especially to non-Christians.

The reason is because the differences in religious and cultural worldviews can be tremendous and can cause deep tensions in a marriage. This could tempt you to downplay and eventually suppress your own faith “to keep the peace at home.”

Moreover, the marriage of a Christian and a Muslim poses special problems for raising the children. The children can grow up confused, falling into the error of thinking “all religions are the same.”

You can read more about mixed marriages (between a Catholic and a non-Catholic Christian) and those involving disparity of cult (between a Catholic and a non-Christian) in the Catechism’s section on marriage.

This is not to say that a marriage between a Christian and a Muslim is impossible. But the difficulties shouldn’t be underestimated. Moreover, a Muslim husband could be under pressure from his own relatives to bring up the children in Islam.

So it is worth asking yourself what kind of religion you want for your children. Will you be able to raise them as Christians? How will you teach them about Jesus if they see that their own dad doesn’t believe in Our Lord’s divinity?

As to your specific question: I can’t say where a soul will end up. But the fact that you are already scared about ending up a lost soul is something you need to pay attention to.

It might be the Holy Spirit nudging you to think through the consequences of marrying someone whose religion differs radically from Christianity.

Muslims don’t believe that God is a Trinity. Nor do they believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the fullness of divine revelation in this world.

Can you be comfortable spending your life with someone who doesn’t share the core beliefs of Christianity?

It might be good to speak with your pastor. The decision you make will impact not only your own eternity but potentially the eternity of your children.

Count on my prayers.

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Alex Kucera

Atlanta

Alex Kucera has lived in Atlanta, GA, for the last 46 years. He is one of 9 children, married to his wife Karmen, and has 3 girls, one grandson, and a granddaughter on the way. Alex joined Regnum Christi in 2007. Out of the gate, he joined the Helping Hands Medical Missions apostolate and is still participating today with the Ghana Friendship Mission.

In 2009, Alex was asked to be the Atlanta RC Renewal Coordinator for the Atlanta Locality to help the RC members with the RC renewal process. Alex became a Group Leader in 2012 for four of the Atlanta Men’s Section Teams and continues today. Running in parallel, in 2013, Alex became a Team Leader and shepherded a large team of good men.

Alex was honored to be the Atlanta Mission Coordinator between 2010 to 2022 (12 years), coordinating 5-8 Holy Week Mission teams across Georgia. He also created and coordinated missions at a parish in Athens, GA, for 9 years. Alex continues to coordinate Holy Week Missions, Advent Missions, and Monthly missions at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Cumming, GA.

From 2016 to 2022, Alex also served as the Men’s Section Assistant in Atlanta. He loved working with the Men’s Section Director, the Legionaries, Consecrated, and Women’s Section leadership teams.

Alex is exceptionally grateful to the Legionaries, Consecrated, and many RC members who he’s journeyed shoulder to shoulder, growing his relationship with Christ and others along the way. He knows that there is only one way, that’s Christ’s Way, with others!