This an interesting question a lot of folks ask me; how did i marry my wife who is a christian. The answer i usually give them is that i marry her because i love her not because she is a christian.

I come from the southern part of Nigeria where Muslims and Christians live side-by-side without any rancor.

I have been married for over 17 years and we have 3 kids; i have been a full atheist for over 15 years.

I must say that when my wife and i were dating, then as a university student,my atheism was just evolving.I used to attend church services occasionally when the need arises. Though, she was religious it didn't form the nucleus of our relationship. We based it on love, respect for each other's views and trust.

In the part of Nigeria where i come from, wedding ceremony is largely the bride's affair. We attended her church for the solemnization of the marriage.After we got married, access to the internet started becoming easy in Nigeria. The first site i visited was Infidel.org where i read a lot of articles and write-ups. The ones i enjoyed the most were the ones written by Robert Ingersoll (I still read his write-ups  till this moment).

This changed my view completely about religion and the atheism that was initially inert in me came out fully. I stopped attending church service, though i would drop her and pick her after service with our car since she could not drive then.

I respect her views on religion and she respects mine too. We have never had any problem concerning this since the foundation of our marriage is based on love rather than religion.

As for the children, they go to church with their mom, however, i have told her that the day i notice any form of indoctrination i will stop them from attending. My children know me to be an atheist and they don't have any problem with it. Often they ask me why did i choose to be an atheist; i give all the answers about being an atheist and danger religion poses to our world. I know with time one or two of them will be an atheist.

Death: We will respect each others' views on how we want to be buried. If she dies before me i will respect her view and if i do before her she will respect my view.

The long and short of the whole thing is respect and love. If you love your partner, you will respect his/her views on the issue of religion. Like i use to tell people if  i have the opportunity again, i will marry my wife all over.

Thanks,

Bandele