Can an unmarried Christian and non-Christian work out a relationship when they already have kids together?

Answer 1

Yes and no. What I mean is that it depends on what their underlying values are, the depth of their love for each other and the willingness of each partner to accept the different beliefs of the other. The two issues brought to the fore in this question are: (i) the couple are unmarried but already have children; and (ii) they do not share religious beliefs. The motive for the question is obviously the difference in religious beliefs.

It would seem that the Christian partner is not strongly religious in the traditional sense, having entered into a de facto relationship and had children in that relationship, so presumably the differences in religious belief are not so fundamentally great as to prohibit continuation of the relationship. However, one partner or the other sees potential problems in the different religious beliefs (or non-belief). In this circumstance, it seems possible that one partner feels in some way (perhaps subconsciously) aggrieved that the other partner has not come to accept his or her beliefs. This is something you need to work through. By now there is little likelihood of either partner changing beliefs about the existence or nonexistence of God, and there is no good reason for either to feel that he or she has failed by not bringing about that change in belief. You did not enter into this relationship in order to see who could convert whom, but for your mutual happiness.