Hi,
I've in my late 20's and I've been with my girlfriend for a year and a half. I love her and she is an amazing woman but our relationship has recently taken a lot of hits and it's affecting both of our happiness. To the point, we are both seriously considering our future together.
For the most part, our relationship is great and we get along and support each other, but we have a core issue which revolves around faith. We are from two different cultures, which isn't a huge issue but also follow two different faiths. I believe in god and i'm Catholic, whereas she says she believes in god but follows Buddism which she acknowledges don't believe in god and also from my understanding and research on Buddhism, they denounce a god. God plays a central role in my life and therefore I have come to realise that I simply can't be with someone that believes in god.
To understand her situation more I suggested we both explore each other's religions and educate each other on our faiths, and this had led to a lot of tension. I am someone that does research and will get the facts before speaking about something, whereas she doesn't base things on facts but assumptions and therefore has led to her saying some pretty ignorant things.
All in all, this woman is a great woman and I love her and believe she will make a great wife and mother one day, but I simply can't overlook these barriers that we are facing. Relationships are hard enough, and on top of that we're a inter cultural and interfaith couple that are not seeing eye to eye on core fundaementals. I would like to get your opinion on the matter based on the information I have provided you above and the list of pros and cons I have highlighted below. What do you think is the next step in our relationship? Should we continue our journey together or do the hard thing and say goodbye?
Thank you in advance.
Pros
She’s beautiful
She has a great personality
She’s patient
She has a good heart
We have a good connection
She is caring
She understands me
She makes me happy
She will make a great mother and wife
Cons
She’s conflicted about her belief in god
We are not from the same background
We don’t share the same culture
We don’t share the same faith
Our family values are different
She’s too open minded - meaning she believes everyone is entitled to behave the way they want and do what they want. She lives in an ideal world.
Some of the things she says are not based on facts and are ignorant
She’s not purpose driven
Doesn’t practice self education