US vice president JD Vance stirred row over interfaith marriage after revealing he hopes his Hindu wife, Usha Vance, may one day convert to Christianity.The comments were made last week at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi. They sparked a row among both MAGA supporters and liberals, many of whom argued that it is not moral to pressure a spouse to change their religion.Vance converted to Catholicism five years into his marriage, and was asked how he and his Indian-origin Hindu wife raise their children without favouring his faith. He replied, “Do I hope that eventually she is somehow moved by what I was moved by in church? Yeah, honestly, I do wish that, because I believe in the Christian Gospel, and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way. But if she doesn’t, then God says everybody has free will, and so that doesn’t cause a problem for me.”
Here are some experts weighing in on interfaith marriage
Susan Katz Miller
Susan Katz Miller, author of Being Both: Embracing Two Religions in One Interfaith Family, said respect and open discussion are crucial in interfaith marriages, according to the Independent. “To respect your partner and everything they bring to the marriage — every part of their identity — is integral to the kind of honesty that you need to have in a marriage,” she said. She added, “Having secret agendas is not usually going to lead to success.”
John Grabowski
John Grabowski, theology professor at The Catholic University of America, said the Catholic Church encourages couples to share their faith but insists spouses should not be pressured. “If your faith is the most important thing in your life, you want to share that with your spouse,” he said. “However, the Catholic Church does insist that spouses should not be coerced or pressured into the faith. It’s a delicate line.”
Dilip Amin
Dilip Amin, founder of InterfaithShaadi.org, showed the importance of genuine choice. “If you convert because you’ve had an authentic change of heart, that’s fine. But if it occurs because of constant pressure and proselytizing, that’s wrong. My advice is: Don’t let a religious institution drive your actions. Talk with each other. You don’t need a third party to interpret the situation for you.”
Ani Zonneveld
Ani Zonneveld, founder of Muslims for Progressive Values, warned of the strain when a spouse’s faith changes after marriage. “I’ve seen that strain … where a Muslim husband who didn’t care much about practicing Islam became orthodox after having children,” she said. “That’s unfair to the other person.”
Rev. J. Dana Trent
Rev. J. Dana Trent, a Southern Baptist minister married to a Hindu monk, said interfaith marriages should focus on mutual support rather than conversion. “The goal of an interfaith marriage is not to convert each other, but to support and deepen each other’s faith traditions and paths,” she said.
How common is interfaith marriage in US?
According to a 2015 Pew Research survey, 39 per cent of Americans married since 2010 have a spouse from a different religion, compared to 19 per cent of couples before 1960. Vance and his wife decided to raise their children as Christians, with attendance at a Christian school and participation in Catholic sacraments. When they met at Yale Law School, both were atheist or agnostic, and their 2014 wedding included Hindu rites.Vance addressed critics on X, calling his wife “the most amazing blessing” in his life and reaffirming his respect for her beliefs. The vice president defending her wife’s faith, added: “She is not a Christian and has no plans to convert, but like many people in an interfaith marriage — or any interfaith relationship — I hope she may one day see things as I do,” he said. “Regardless, I’ll continue to love and support her and talk to her about faith and life and everything else, because she’s my wife.”
