Quote:
Originally Posted by ElsaMars
Societal norms play a role in our choices whether we are capable of seeing this or not. I'm not making this up (what would be in it for me to make such a thing up?) If we were raised in a society where nobody got married, we wouldn't either. If we were raised in a society where women covered up from head to toe, we would to. It's not about assigning blame or not taking personal responsibility for our own choices it just how things work. My friend who is Christian honestly believes that if she were raised in a Muslim country with Muslim parents she'd still be a Christian because she makes her own choices. Not true or logical but people can believe what they like.
|
Yes there are certain societal norms. I think you are simplifying it all a bit.
Sure if we lived in the society where no one married we wouldn't be married either. Or if we lived in the society where everyone was married, we would be married too. But most of us posting on this thread don't live in such societies. We live in the world where some people marry and some don't or some marry and then divorce. That's why so many of us chose different lives of ourselves. There is no requirement to be married at all.
There is a certain advantage of living in the Western world is that we are lucky to have a lot of different choices. There was is no ONE society in Europe or US or Canada. There are many fluid societies here and many ways of life. Certainly if I was born in the society where a woman must be married to survive id most certainly marry young and stay married and wouldn't dream of living any different way.
But I don't live in such country. I lived in both Europe and the US. There is no obligation to be married in neither places. I and many others are lucky in that sense. I felt just as good as single woman and as divorced and as married. I can't care less what society says. At no point I felt pressure to change my life style. I wasn't treated any different either.
Now if anyone posted on this thread that they were raised in culture where one must be married, then of course I'd agree with them. But so far it wasn't the case.
As about your friend...There are people who convert into different faith and yes there are Christians and Jews in Muslim countries. Your friend wouldn't be able to be Christian as a child if she was raised in Muslim family. But theoretically it's entirely possible that she could convert to Chrtianity as an adult. It's not unheard of. People do convert. It's not always easy but it happens. I know people of different faith in different countries, including christians from Muslim countries . So she isn't wrong in theory
Ps I think overall you are comparing completely different things. Things that are required in certain areas/cultures (such as women being covered) and things that aren't required in main stream society we are discussing (most people on this thread live in the US)-being married/staying married isn't a requirement. If someone feels obligated to marry against their true desire and stay married no matter what, it's not society' s doing.