Partners of Different Religions

I had a virtual chat with a netpal a couple of days ago. Then the issue of having partners of different religions was brought up. "I'm a Christian, so I must marry another Christian." - strange, you know. And when I asked the reason, she said that she wanted someone who shares the same values. Before you have any thoughts in your mind, let me clear it for you - we're NOT dating... hehehe. We were merely discussing.

We have the right to choose our own partners, and we have the right to embrace the religion of our choice. Fine, thank you. What if you've found a great person, but you refuse to make that move due to religious differences? In addition, what if that person decides not to convert to your religion? Easy answer: "Let that person go, la. After all there are many fish in the sea. If not, then being single is also not bad anyway."

As far as I'm concerned, I wouldn't mind marrying anyone from any race as long as I get to keep my religion, and I will let her keep hers. The other thing is that I do not have to change my name or add something to it because my present name was given to me by my parents. People tend to believe that by marrying someone of the same religion, things will go smoothly as they will understand each other better. True, to a certain extent. However, marrying someone of a different religion has its benefits too. You get to learn and understand another religion, not only your own. You will also learn to tolerate other religions better. Isn't this what being a multi-racial country is all about, too? A good example is my parents - my mom is a Christian, dad a Buddhist. My brother chose to be a Christian, while I chose to be a Buddhist because we siblings have our own beliefs. Well, nothing's perfect. There have been some minor differences but nothing keeps my parents' love for each other going for close to 50 years despite that difference in faith.

If we respect each other's religion, that would be great, wouldn't it? The problem with us is that we think, or have been indoctrinated by people that our religion is better than others; some people make a mockery of other religions. This is when trouble ignites, and later turns into a full blown explosion.

I think we should all be open about having an open-religion marriage. There's no superior religion in this world because God has never taught us to think that way and all Man are equal in His eyes. The bottom line is, we all do good, be good and see good always, and life will be alright - regardless of whom you marry.

Harith and Jezamine

Does age difference matter in a marriage? Well, from what I read in the papers yesterday, it certainly isn't. There was a column to announce that local comedian Harith Iskandar and model-actress Jezamine Lim are getting married. They'd already be married by the time you read this.

Harith is 44, while Jezamine is 27. That's an age gap of 17 years. It kinda reminds us of Siti Nurhaliza when she married businessman Datuk "K". What I find unique about Harith's love is that he first met Jezamine in Facebook! Did I read the papers carefully? I think so. Yes, it's the same social networking site that all of us are familiar with. So who says you cannot find love on the Internet, or online love doesn't work? Although it is quite a norm nowadays to find love online, not many are reported or known...well, there's no reason for us to know anyway.

My mom commented that Lim is a doctor, and Harith, a comedian - how could both match? I suppose laughter is the best medicine, if you know what I mean. So that matches well. I would also like to add that it all boils down to luck and fate as well. If Harith did not have a Facebook account, he might not have met his attractive bride and end his bachelorhood.

Luck and fate ... and prayer play crucial roles in our lives. True, age doesn't matter. Men can still perform at 40, 50 or even 60 ... you know what I mean; so can women. The only difference is, the older we get, the lesser chance we have of bearing a child.

A photo of the "akad nikah" (solemnisation) of the marriage is available here. Best wishes to the new couple.