Would you marry an Atheist? (As long as he is not evil, yes!)

When I was asked this question, I was taken aback. You see, I am usually the kind of person who has a prompt answer to most questions but this particular one took me quite a few minutes to really think about. I grew up in a family of staunch Muslims. My mother has been to Mecca two times and both my parents pray five times a day. Myself? That’s a different story altogether. I believe in God alright but do I pray five times a day? No. Do I fast? Not always. I try to pray (in my bed) when I am about to go to sleep and even then I have sometimes been ashamed to find myself sleeping two seconds into prayer but still, in my own defense, I do try to give thanks to the Almighty and HE in turn comes through for me. So what would happen today if I asked God for a life partner only to fall in love with a man who doesn’t believe in HIM? I mean, isn’t that what our Holy Books teach us? That ask and you shall be given? What is it I am looking for in a man? Like any other girl, my list is endless but as I grow older, I am more realistic so as we speak, all I require from the man of my dreams is humility, kindness, commitment to hard work and of course his love and care for me. As long as my man doesn’t believe in black magic, his choice to not believe in God is completely none of my business. Some say that a man who loves God is a great catch. Perhaps. From experience, I have seen men who are serious believers but are a pain to be around. I have seen human beings who go to church everyday, who society look upon as ‘holy’ yet do the sickest stuff to fellow human beings. I mean, I live in a country where ‘God’s men’ grabbed machetes and descended on their own flock. A man’s belief in God doesn’t necessarily mean that he is cleansed or righteous. What is important to me is his love for fellow human beings, his heart is clean and he knows good from bad. I would be lying if I said that there haven’t been times when I have questioned God’s existence. Senseless death, disaster, prolonged pain; all make me question why the God that loves and cares for us looks on as we suffer. You may ask why I still believe, if not for anything else, in this insane world, one has got to believe in something. If the man I love chooses to believe in Science, so be it. After all, my God loves me with all my flaws and blemishes. As a believer in God, it is perhaps my job to love this man and along the way try to show him the advantages of prayer instead of casting him on the side. The one thing that brings every believer in God and Atheist together as one unit and is singlehandedly capable of everlasting happiness is love. Let’s stick to that.