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An introduction
By Reverand Deborah Stern Ross and Rabbi Roger Ross
Until recent years interfaith marriages in the United States were
a taboo with dire consequences--disinheritance, ostracism. Today,
a rapidly increasing number of people are marrying across religious
lines. Recent statistics in the U.S. show that at least 60 percent
of Catholics between the ages of 18-38 are married to non-Catholics,
and 50 percent of recent Jewish marriages are to non-Jews. More
and more couples from every religion are taking the plunge into
interfaith marriage and the raising of interfaith children. Newly
engaged interfaith couples face unique challenges. How can they
blend their diverse backgrounds to create a ceremony that uniquely
represents who they are as a couple, and one which is meaningful
and inclusive to everyone present? More importantly though, interfaith
couples often need a guiding hand in the months before the wedding
to confront and resolve the issues surrounding interfaith marriages.
 A
newly married interfaith couple themselves, Rabbi Roger Ross and
Reverend Deborah Steen Ross have been guiding interfaith couples
over the obstacles that may arise before marriage and then officiating
at their ceremonies, for more than 10 (need confirm on this) years.
Their awareness of the need for officiates who can provide guidance
and inspiration for these couples comes from their own experiences
as a Jewish/Protestant couple. Roger and Deborah approach interfaith
marriage with a philosophy of "Never instead of, always in addition
to." This inclusive way of looking at different faiths, cultures,
races and sexual orientations, helps couples to create a working
wedding ceremony that honors diverse elements of different traditions.
In addition to the more usual combinations of Jewish/Catholic or
Jewish/ Protestant couples, they have married Jewish/Hindu, Jewish/Muslim,
and even one couple who were Irish Catholic/Japanese Shinto on the
groom's side, and Korean Buddhist/ Baptist on the bride's side.
Read More
Rabbi Roger and Reverand Deborah - Loving
Hearts Ceremonies
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Read about the special issues surrounding Intercultural
and interfaith relationships in "Mixed
Matches". |
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Intercultural Hindu marriages,
read Catherine Borgman-Arboleda's
article: East
Meets West |
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Joel
Crohn,