I never thought of that as traditional I guess, Cody. To me the ring is just a custom, how we treated each other was the important thing. Many men wear wedding rings and cheat every chance they get. Getting off topic here and will stop.
To us (wife/I) most reasons for taking off a wedding set while still married, is/can be bad, especially if the husband or wife disagrees with it and they are still living under the same roof. Now, if a couple is separated, it's the choice of either of them to take their ring/rings off, but, then again, if one of them sees the ring/rings gone and they are trying to get back together.........trouble again. If a full-on divorce is going on, with no reconciliation at all going to happen, the ring/rings can definitely come off. That's what I did. What I'm puzzled about Babs, is why you would say "Christian man" about your husband??? Those things you said he was doing to you, sure don't go with the name "Christian man", or am I missing something? Oh well, back to the Thread.
Yep, and so will women. I had to say that, you do know that, right? But, it is true. Ok, I'll stop also. Anyway, like many things in life, including marriage, a lot of us have our difference in opinion on how things are done and the meaning of them. BTW, the only time my wife takes her wedding set off is when I ask her to for cleaning. She was so, so excited when she put on the Engagement Ring in 2000. Just couldn't wait to show everyone she knew. I loved it!
All of what has been said ties with my tread although in a round about way. What we personally believe has an affect on how we see others and their behaviors. And their beliefs have that same affect on them. To some nothing is right or wrong, to others there are varying degrees of what is right and what is wrong, etc. If someone acts or behaves in a way that doesn't mesh with our beliefs we might think there is something wrong with them...while they may think something is wrong with us. But it doesn't mean either one of us is right...or wrong for that matter. We are all individuals with choices to make on what we believe and how we behave, yet in our humanness even when we may choose to believe something and behave in a certain way...we will not always be able to live up to those standards we ourselves have set. And we already know we cannot make people believe the same things we do or behave how we think they should. My ex is a Christian, but he wasn't behaving like one during our marriage and that made me sad, mad, and even made me think if that man was going to heaven...then I didn't want to go there too. Because I had already faced enough of hell to last me a lifetime. That is my past and my present is with a wonderful man who thinks he is blessed to have me and he has always cherished me and our marriage. And I am thankful and blessed and healed from the hurt of my past. My faith has sustained me.
Glad you found your true love, Babs. I got lucky the first time around. Not to say my marriage was perfect and we didn't argue or disagree but we loved each other. We had a very strong bond. He could drive me crazy sometimes but we accepted each other's annoying little habits and we would still be married had he not died. We were married 35 years as it is. Wow, had he lived, it would be 46 yrs in July!
I had to take a little break from this as talking about the abuse I experienced (even though it is in the past) brought back really painful memories. My wounds have been healed but memories take longer to fade away. In every trial in our lives there is blessing and during the years of abuse, my faith and believe in God actually increased. My relationship with Him became deeper and more intimate too. One day I opened my Bible to these Scriptures: "Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. The shame of your youth and the sorrows of your widowhood will be remembered no more. For your Creator will be your husband. The LORD Almighty is his name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel the God of all the earth. For the LORD has called you back from your grief---as though you were a young wife abandoned by her husband. "says your God. Isaiah 54:4-6 I had felt like a widow and abandoned wife for so many years even though to the world it looked like I had a husband. And my shame that my Christian husband abused me overwhelmed me at times. Until the Holy Spirit led me straight to these Scriptures I had no idea they were in the Bible, but that day these Scriptures were given to me I knew without a doubt that God was speaking directly to me and assuring me that I had nothing to worry about from that day on. He would be my husband from now on...and He would take away my shame and grief. And God was faithful in keeping those promises to me. My faith journey has taken me many places and seen me safely through many trials and sorrows. Everything I have experienced has only made God more real to me...even when I yelled and screamed at Him for allowing me to hurt so bad. My faith journey took many detours along the way, but I always ended up where I started from...with my faith and belief that the God of the Bible is who He says He, will keep His promises to His children, and will accomplish all that the Bible speaks of in His perfect timing. I wish I could say that I just accepted God at His Word but I'm not one to do that. I tested Him and asked Him to prove to me time after time that He was who He claimed to be...and He was faithful in doing so even though He didn't have to prove anything to me or to anyone else. When people ask me how do I know God is real and that He is who He says He is, etc. My answer is always the same...because He proved this to me time and time again. And I have no doubt that He will prove the same to anyone who really wants to know Him. Thank you all for letting me share my faith and beliefs here on this Forum.
That's one trait I found in Catholics, their tolerance of other religions. At least that's true in my country, I know the religious practice also depends on the culture of the place. What I mean is Catholics in the Philippines are more tolerant than Catholics in other countries. I sometimes wonder why religion should be a big issue. If you believe in being a Catholic then so be it. And if you are a born-again Christian or a Jehovah's Witness, then why bully the Catholic faith? I have noticed that the Catholic is the favorite whipping boy of other denominations particularly for the Catholic's belief in the icons and idols that other religion say is idolatry. Post something spiritual or religious and you get scathing remarks from them but none from Catholics.
I feel comfortable on this forum, because I'm accepted for who I am. I not a Christain. I have no religion. But I am not an atheist, I'm what's called an agnostic in today's world. American Indians don't have a written bible, they are more spiritual in seeking and communing with the Creator. Now days Christianity is a greater part in the Indain beliefs, and so they can be similar in many ideas and actions today. But when I'm honest with most people they automatically start trying to convert and save me. Then I try to explain that as far as beliefs go, I have never been lost, so I don't need saving. My grandmother told me, "Walk the walk, and travel the road." It is simple, but it works for me