[dr2005]

I suppose I should start by saying there are a few loaded questions in there, so expect some interesting replies. I'll aim to be as neutral as possible though.

Originally Posted by Age of Ignorance

At the very least, and I'll ask this gingerly, do theist organisations prey on the vulnerable and young for membership and followers?

You'll probably get some people screaming "YES!!!" in response to that (and they know who they are ), but the honest answer is it really varies from group to group. Some groups do target people quite stridently (and quite frankly I find such groups pretty distasteful to say the least...), while others let people come to them and see what they make of it for themselves. I've had experience of both, and the latter is definitely my preference by a considerable margin - the former makes me kick back against it quite strongly, despite my self-confessed theism. With the one your girlfriend has attended it does sound like they've been quite proactive in their approach, but whether that amounts to preying I'm not so sure. Do you have any more details about them? I might recognise the name...

Originally Posted by Age of Ignorance

Also, what things should I expect to change in my relationship? Will there be a picture of Jesus on my bedside table that stares at me with the eyes of a smiling assassin as I sleep? Will I be forced to listen to "praise music"?

Much as that's quite an amusing image, I think you're safe. I've been a Catholic for most of my life, but aside from wearing a crucifix and having a fairly discreet one on my wall you'd be hard pushed to tell. Most of my wallspace is taken up by stuff to do with cars and motorsport. Hell, I play Grand Theft Auto on the Xbox. So you shouldn't necessarily see any overt changes as much as you might notice her world view is different. Then again, she may want some more symbols up. It all varies from person to person.

Originally Posted by Age of Ignorance

On a more personal note, how do I tell her not to impress her views on me, without making her feel like her views are being suppressed?

I think the key thing is to look again at how you've worded that. You're looking at basically giving her an order - "don't impress your views on me" - while at the same time trying not to make it sound like an order. In that respect I'm afraid you are doomed to fail. If she is serious about her change of beliefs (and it is still early days yet) then you need to find a way to be accommodating about them, and that's on a mutual basis as well. It's no different to any other clash in interests in that respect, just on a different basis.

In addition to this, I would say it's worth taking some time to find out her reasons for making this change. Thus far you've put it down to her being impressionable, which may indeed be the case. But it may also be down to something else that she's not let on about as much, and if you act from a position of assuming naivety then you're far more likely to end up butting heads on the subject. Which leads me to your last question...

Originally Posted by Age of Ignorance

Just generally, what do you think of this whole predicament I find myself in? I do consider myself to be a strong atheist, but I try to keep my opinion close to my chest. I fear, though, that this new spiritual journey my girlfriend is on will impact our relationship - I fear there will be a lot of head clashing because of this, despite my efforts to hold my tongue. I'm curious to hear what you think.

Short answer: It all depends on how much you let it impact your relationship.

Longer answer: You're not the first person to be in a relationship with someone with totally different religious beliefs to yourself, and you certainly won't be the last. There have been so-called "mixed marriages" (not a phrase I'm particularly fond of but hey) throughout the centuries, many of which have been very successful. There's at least one marriage in my extended family between a Christian and an atheist, and I have friends in similar circumstances as well. So it all comes down to how the two of you approach the topic. It may not be a particularly easy one, particularly if - as appears to be the case - you have strong contrasting opinions on the subject, but there are ways and means if you're both willing to explore them.

Hope that's some help and free feel to ask more questions if you like. Best of luck with whatever happens.