Friendship and Religion

[NaturaLCalamity]

Hello everyone!!!

This "friend" of mine has been bugging me for the past couple of weeks and usually I can put up with people whom I dislike, but she is driving me literally insane. Okay, so my best friend has been dating this girl, we'll call her Sarah, and she is very religious, so it seems. My friend however, is Buddhist, and from the moment I met Sarah, I didn't think it'll last. Sure she's nice and all, but I thought Christians don't date outside their religion? Anyways, every time I ask a question about anything, her answer would be God. We got into several debates about whether he exists or not, I couldn't care less if she believes in God or not. I have no problem with religious people whatsoever, unless they're harming other people. One day, she said that I am "truly" a Christian because at some point, I'd have to believe in God. I have no idea what she meant. And recently, I just found out that she's pregnant with my best friend. This got me really mad because I really care for my best friend and I just thought that his life is literally over. We're only 20 years old and she's already having a baby, which is expected to be due in October. I have no idea how they're going to raise this baby either. About 2 days ago, my friend told me he had gotten (pardon my slang) into an argument with Sarah about whether the baby is going to be raised Buddhist or Christian. Of course, she said Christian because she wanted to baby to be "saved" and to have a better life...I never knew Christians had better lives than everyone else. Okay, I just wanted to get all that out of my head and thanks for reading. I still feel really bad for my friend because I know he's not ready for a baby, and I told him to be protected all the time but they didn't listen. I usually don't hate people, but I'm starting to hate Sarah. And the worst part is, I try not to because this could jeopardize all our friendship. Any suggestions or comments about my situation would be appreciated. Thanks to all!

[SallyMutant]

Pregnant Christian kids drive me crazy! They condemn safe sex, birth control, and early-term abortion for  abstinence schemes that utterly fail them when they become really horny like normal people. Of course they have a high teen (and 20 is pretty young too) pregnancy rate. Sorry this isn't a suggestion that can help you out, but you did ask for suggestions and comments. Good Luck!
 

[curiosityandthecat]

Baptize the kid and put it up for adoption. Best of both worlds.

Seriously, though, I dunno. That's a tough situation. She's obviously a nutter and your friend is the victim. I guess all you can do is tell your friend that you are there to support him, and if that means supporting him and Sarah (and the baby), then that's what you'll do. You won't be happy about it, but that's not what matters.

Good luck. Yer gonna need it.  

[Whitney]

Well, I guess there isn't much you can do about who your friends date because any criticism of the relationship could harm your friendship.  I guess since they are going to be having  this baby together you could offer some advice on how to compromise on what religion the child will be raised to have.  I know a Buddhist who is married to a Christian and they have been teaching their kids about both views and he only goes to church if it is one he feels comfortable at (one that isn't going to try and make him convert).  This allows both parents to feel like they are teaching the kids about the 'correct' religion but also makes it more possible for the kids to decide on their own when they grow up.  

Honestly, if they can't develop a compromise on an issue as important as religion, they should not get married.  Your friend can always file for joint custody.  I think it is also possible for the courts to require the mother live within a  certain distance of their hometown so the father can visit.