Saturday, September 18, 2010

Breaking Point

So it's been a bit since I mentioned Richard and his ridiculous shenanigans so here it goes.

Richard has been raised with the belief in God his whole life. He married my sister under these beliefs, beliefs my sister holds dear to her heart. He knew this when they married. He knew that she had lived her life with a love of God and  he made a commitment to continue to live these beliefs. He promised he felt the same way and that they would raise their children with these beliefs as well.

After ten years of marriage Richard decided he no longer believed in God and my sister was heart broken. She cried and asked why? She asked if they could go to counseling or if he needed to speak to someone in their faith about it. He refused and told her if she wanted a divorce he wouldn't fight her on it and would allow her to keep the children and he would continue to provide for them.

She told him no that she wanted to stayed married and see if they could work things out. He was open to this at first, but after months of trying he still was struggling. He started to try and persuade my sister that God did not exist and that she was stupid to believe he did.

This is were my sister put her foot down. She told him that if they were going to make things work he would have to keep his beliefs to himself. He was not to speak to the children about God, period. If he didn't believe that was up to him, but they had agreed to raise their children a certain way and she wasn't going to change that. He agreed, but of course being the stupid man that he is couldn't help himself. He had to prove to her that he was right and continued to attack her with his atheist beliefs.

Finally my sister finally gave him an ultimatum. If he wanted to stay married he would have to stop or she would have to leave and if he truly loved her he would let her live the life they had agreed upon when they married. She promised not to speak to him about God if he would do the same for her and the children.

You know what his answer was? That he didn't love her anymore and that she and the children made him unhappy. My sister sat in shock for several moments then got up and left the room. She packed up her and the children's things and left.
 
Four days later Richard called and said he was wrong and that he was feeling confused, but my sister said she was done. If he wanted his freedom he had it.

So what would  you do? Would you break up your marriage over your religious beliefs? I realize in my sister's case this was not the only reason for not going back, but think about it. What would your breaking point be?


 

3 comments:

  1. I have had this very conversation with my spouse. I have a very strict limit on what I will take when it comes to religious things. If my spouse were to say to me "I don't believe in God...." after the covenants and promises we have made. THAT ALONE is my breaking point. He knows this. I would either make him leave...or leave and take the kids myself. I have no tolerance for people who quit those kind of promises when an entire family is involved with the making of them. Disgusting.

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  2. Imagine the prices that will be paid for that on the other side....not a punishment any of us can imagine, of that I am sure.

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  3. I think the Anti-Christmas thing would have been my breaking point.

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