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Originally Posted by Hombre de Mundo
But does "relate" mean you have to agree on everything?
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"Agreeing on everything" and "fully relating" to somebody in terms of world-view are two completely different concepts.
People can have shared world-views from two completely different perspectives; it's the relatability that strengthens the relationship, not necessarily an accord on things, although that certainly fosters harmony. Having different perspectives means you might have different priorities or opinions when it comes to certain situations in daily life, such as where to go for dinner or what to do for fun or whether it's more important to spend time with your dying grandmother or your brother who's about to ship off to Iraq for eight months.
Because religion often defines someone's beliefs
about relationships, it's important that a couple is on the same level on almost every aspect. For example, while most people tend to see sex as a form of bonding, some people have differing views on how deep that bonding runs or what spiritual implications it has, what context it belongs in, or what the end goal should be. A couple is more likely to see eye-to-eye on these things if they have the same or similar religious convictions. And then, of course, there are religious views on marriage.
Just way too many variables. You have to narrow them down somehow, and more often than not, the best way to relate to someone is through religion and/or world-view. Every relationship I've been in previous to my current pending marriage has had some difference of opinion that has led to the crash and burn of the relationship, and almost all of them stemmed from religious differences or were at least coupled with them.