There were two admonitions that were fairly common around here when I was growing up.
1. Marry within your race.
2. Marry within your religion.
Have pondered those two issues for decades.
NORMALLY folks most like that which is most similar to themselves--with some exceptions for 'the spice of life' contrasts.
And, I much prefer individual FREEDOM to RELIGIOUS straight-jackets.
And, as Vicktor Frankl observed,
THERE IS ***NO*** FREEDOM
WITHOUT RESPONSIBILITY
Though some other wag also observed,
THERE IS NO RESPONSIBILITY WITHOUT FREEDOM.However, on average, imho, there is a huge measure of rebelliousness on the part of many who violate the normal affinity like has for like.
My housemate married a black man--largely in fierce rebellion to a very dysfunctional dad whom everyone has to walk on eggshells around because he tends to throw 2 year old outrageously hostile fits for little "reason" out of his supreme narcissism and arrogance.
The black man, also, turned out, of course, to exhibit far too many traits far too similar to her dad--and they divorced after 2 children were born of the union.
Of course, the children, a boy and a girl--rushed out and married partners which also had an alarming number of traits too similar to the dysfunctions of the granddad. And one of those marriages is now threatened with dissolution, as well.
Choices have consequences.
All these issue are complex and rules of thumb are extremely hazardous to put too much stock into.
And I far more prefer the freedom to partner with more or less anyone WITHOUT legal governmental heavy-handedness.
Nevertheless, violating God's priorities in terms of sexual behavior . . . and violating God's priorities in terms of spiritual and philosophical priorities
DOES CARRY SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES of eternal import.
I don't think God has any great passionate priority-- on principle, in general--vis a vis marrying across racial lines. Pagans COULD--even in Old Testament times--become qualified 'Children of Israel' after an initiation process etc. That evidently was regardless of racial lines. THEN, they were to be accepted and treated exactly as any bloodline Israeli's.
However, doing
anything out of rebellion against God, carries destructive consequences, imho.
