***Do you have a non-xtian spouse?***
Yes.
***Or a parent?***
Yes. (deceased)
***Do they believe in other religions?***
Spouse - no.
Father believed in gambling.
***Or not at all?***
Spouse believes in God* but not religion.
Although not explicitly declared, father was atheist.
***What sort of relationship do you have with family/spouses who do not share your faith? Is it a good relationship? Very loving? Or is it indifferent? or strained? separated? ***
Very loving relationship with family. Very loving and passionate relationship with spouse. We've been married for decades. My faith is discussed with my family only when they ask questions. I've never liked people preaching to me so I try not to preach to others. Otherwise, my faith is expressed through my interactions with my family and the community. For example, yesterday, our home was the gathering place for family and some friends who had otherwise been ostracized to some extent. Our guests included and elderly prostitute, a woman who had been physically abused and abandoned by her husband, a young lesbian, a convicted drunk driver and a couple nearing 40 who have not yet been able to conceive. It was humbling when the group asked me to say grace before our meal. Everyone got along well. My granddaughter kept a smile on everyone's face and we had some in-depth discussions about life that lasted well into the night. It seemed like nobody wanted to leave. It was really a wonderful time. Life is great.
Father kept us laughing with his carrying on and jokes when he was in a good mood and crying because of his gambling other times. If it wasn't for our mother, we would have spent most of the time hungry and homeless. Except that we all knew that he would be willing to kill or die for us if anyone else dared to try and hurt us - he didn't really seem to know how to express fatherly love - he was severely abused as a child and too caught up in gambling as an adult. Things were strained because of the gambling. Mom did as much as she could but we did without some things that people take for granted, such as a telephone (all of the time) and electricity (some of the time). There were even a couple of times when we were evicted. Us kids found out when we came home from school to see our belongings out on the street. It was embarassing at the time, to say the least. My siblings and I are all adults now but we are still split in our perceptions about Dad. Half of us think that he was just a mean SOB and half of us think that he was just a man with a serious problem. Go figure.