Originally Posted by ebaines

It's of course difficult for anyone trying to give you advice here to really be able to understand the nuances of your relationship, but I would offer this:

First, to support what the other have said - the Roman Catholic Church is of course the largest Christian denomination in the world. So please be at ease that it is indeed Christian.

Second - yes, it's practices are different from what you are used to. Whether they are different enough in your view to make those pactices invalid is something you'll have to think through. If you think about what the fundamental things are you would want your children to learn froim church, is it really all that much different? I am a believer that all legitimate christian churches are 90% alike, and that the last 10% that comprises the differences is not worth losing your family over.

Third, from a practical matter - and hoping not to sound too sexist here - in my experience it is usually the mother who is the ultimate influence on the child's upbringing. If the mother doesn't support something, it won't happen. So if your fianc? Is set on raising her children as Roman Catholic, that's what's going to happen.

And lastly - keep in mind that as adults we are all free to join whatever church we'd like. So if your children are raised as Roman Catholics, and you continue to attend your church, it's quite possible that when they reach an appropriate age they will want to come see what their Dad's church is all about. I can tell you that our church has many former Roman Catholic members.