In Faith and In Doubt: How Religious Believers and Nonbelievers Can Create Strong Marriages and Loving Families

The claim is often made that interfaith marriages fail more often than same-faith partnerships. So what are the chances of survival for the ultimate mixed marriage – one between religious and nonreligious partners? Nearly 20 percent of Americans now self-identify as nonreligious, including millions who are married to religious believers. Despite the differences, many of these marriages succeed beautifully. In this landmark book, popular author and secular humanist Dale McGowan explores some of the stories of these unions, whose very endurance flies in the face of conventional wisdom, including his own marriage to a believing Christian. Drawing on sociology, psychology, and real-life experience, he shares: negotiation tips that set the stage for harmonious relationships, strategies for dealing with pressure from extended family, profiles of families who have successfully blended different world views, insights for helping kids make their own choices about religious identity, and advice for handling holidays, churchgoing, baptism, circumcision, religious literacy, and more. The first book of its kind, In Faith and In Doubt helps partners navigate the complexities of their situation while celebrating the extraordinary richness it affords their relationship, their children, and those around them.