Religious Difference Is a Major Concern

DR. WALLACE: I am a born-again Christian. My boyfriend is a wonderful fellow, but he also happens to be an atheist and says that he will remain an atheist until the day he leaves this earth. I love Ted and he loves me and we plan to get married in a year. My parents are also born-again Christians and they are against me marrying an atheist. They are horrified at the thought. I keep telling them that once we are married I feel I can help him to become a Christian, but they do not see it as a possibility.

What are your thoughts on his conversion to Christianity after we are wed? I'm a true believer that true love is all-powerful and will overcome all obstacles. - Nameless, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada

NAMELESS: I, too, believe in the power of true love and I think it will overcome most but not all obstacles. All things are possible and your boyfriend might eventually become a religious believer, but I would not marry him until that "happy" day comes, if indeed, it ever will come. The differences in the religious philosophy of your boyfriend and you could cause major problems in a marriage.

IT APPEARS THE JUDGE IS WISE AND COMPASSIONATE

DR. WALLACE: I'm interested in the sentence a judge handed down to an 18-year-old guy who wrote to you and who was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and possession of marijuana. I think the judge should have given him some time behind bars to teach him a lesson. But instead, he was given a year's probation and ordered to attend night school to get his high school diploma. Besides that, the judge ordered him to attend any place of worship.

I want to know how a judge can order someone to attend a church. What about the separation of church and state in this situation? It just doesn't seem right to me. - Jerry, San Francisco, Calif.

JERRY: It's obvious that you haven't been sentenced by a judge because the person on the bench with the black robe can issue any sentence that he/she feels will include punishment (a year's probation) and rehabilitation (education and religion).

The fellow who wrote thanking that judge said that he had earned his diploma, had finished his probation time, and was still attending church regularly. It appears the judge is a wise and compassionate human being.

NEVER SKIP BREAKFAST

DR. WALLACE: I'm always struggling to maintain my "desired" weight. I read somewhere that it is important to eat breakfast when trying to maintain a certain weight. Why is this? When dieting, breakfast is the meal I skip the most. - Dee, Crown Point, Ind.

DEE: According to the Mayo Clinic, no one should ever skip breakfast because during the day, when you are active, your body needs maximum calories and nutrients. Missed breakfasts can slow the rate at which you burn calories and often leads to overeating at night when energy demands are down and calories are more likely to be stored as body fat.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@galesburg.net. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.