[CherylNYC]

I would have to trust and respect a person in order to date them. That means they couldn't be a bigot, and they couldn't be dishonest or mean. That, to me, rules out conservative Republicans.

I'm a Pagan/Wiccan, and my long-ago ex was a rabid athiest when I met her. Like many atheists I've met since then, she was a proselytizer, and she did her best to convert me. (There are so many good reasons why we didn't stay together.) I simply demanded that my ex respect me, and I exlained my spirituality to her whenever she asked. I never discussed it with her unless she initiated the discussion. I was really astonished when my ex did a 180 degree turn and explored and embraced her own brand of Goddess worship within two years of meeting me. I tried my best to support her without imposing.

Now I would date a person of any faith as long as they have some sort of spiritual life. I once dated a Christian pastor, but it's easiest to date other Pagans/Wiccans. My late partner Sharon and I came from the exact same Wiccan tradition, and it was wonderful. She and I had very similar values and politics. We did have a very strange moment once when I ended up in the hospital with a dangerous bacterial infection. I had been admitted and was put on IV antibiotics. My fever was quite high and I was slipping in and out of consciousness while the staff tried to ascertain my medical history. They asked about my history of pregnancy, and while I mumbled a wan answer I caught a glimpse of Sharon's face. Even barely conscious and burning up with fever, I suddenly understood that Sharon was against abortion unless it was necessary to save the life of the mother! It had simply never come up between us prior to that moment. Since we respected each other we didn't end up with a damaging conflict about it, but the look on her face certainly concerned me at the time.

I'm now dating someone who will go to political rallies and demonstrations with me. We have great conversations about race and feminism, too. The answer is that I would date someone with different beliefs, but I would rather not.