Opinion of Missionary Dating

[DC Al Fine]

First off, the article you posted isn't missionary dating, at least not in the sense the term is normally used. I've never heard of anything like that before in my 20 years of ultra-conservative Christianity. That case is truly bizarre.*

A typical case of missionary dating involves one partner (usually the girl) nagging the other to go to church, hoping to change them etc. There's usually a church wedding if they get married, and then much strife when the irreligious partner and the children don't take up the faith, although I have heard of the odd successful case.

Missionary dating is a terrible practice (do not be unequally yoked etc.) but I'm afraid it's quite common given the demographics of the church, especially Evangelical churches. I was missionary dated once (the girl I dated before my fiancee is Mormon), and it adds nothing but strife to a relationship.

*And a lot of these advice columns make up their letters so there's a good chance its faked.

[DC Al Fine]

First off, the article you posted isn't missionary dating, at least not in the sense the term is normally used. I've never heard of anything like that before in my 20 years of ultra-conservative Christianity. That case is truly bizarre.*

A typical case of missionary dating involves one partner (usually the girl) nagging the other to go to church, hoping to change them etc. There's usually a church wedding if they get married, and then much strife when the irreligious partner and the children don't take up the faith, although I have heard of the odd successful case.

Missionary dating is a terrible practice (do not be unequally yoked etc.) but I'm afraid it's quite common given the demographics of the church, especially Evangelical churches. I was missionary dated once (the girl I dated before my fiancee is Mormon), and it adds nothing but strife to a relationship.

*And a lot of these advice columns make up their letters so there's a good chance its faked.

To be fair to Mormons, we place a really big emphasis on only dating or marrying Mormons, and trying to bring nonmembers around to our view. It's part of our doctrine that eternal marriages (or sealing the wife and husband together after the marriage) can only happen in an LDS temple (so both partners have to be LDS), so it's consistent, at least.

Oh yeah definitely.

I didn't mean to pick on Mormons. It's just that we both had very strong conflicting views, and that added conflict to the relationship where there otherwise wouldn't have been any.

[DC Al Fine]

I don't think it's wise for a Christian to date outside the faith. There are at least two references (Ephesians and Corinthians) where many evangelicals(I included) apply those verses with regards to dating. Personally I don't think dating as we know it properly prepares one for marriage.

This coming from a guy who got a no from a Baptist preachers daughter and sister because of my speaking in tounges.

Been there before, albeit over slightly different issues.