This American Life - 77: Pray

Broadcast on: 26 Sep 1997

- Okay, here's a couple for you, first, Tim. - I usually always say that I'm a Christian first. - Do you still go to church every Sunday? - Yes, I try to go to church every Sunday. I'm very active in the church. I was the chairman of the congregation. - Okay, that's him. Now, her. - I'm an atheist. I only go to church on Sunday. Let's say if my daughter is performing a violin, recital there, and I just, I don't really participate in the service. I just sit there. - Can people who have religion, and people who don't, truly understand each other? Mary and Manfred Rower have been married for 22 years. They have a teenage daughter. It is surprisingly harmonious. And then how would it work when you were president of the congregation, isn't that the kind of job where usually somebody would bring their whole family along to a lot of different kinds of events? - Well, a lot of people thought that he was single, actually, I think, people that are not directly involved that he was single. - Yes, that is true. I've been approached, oh, my daughter's divorced or whatever, if you like to meet her, and I said, I'm sorry, I'm married. - Mary was Catholic when they first met, and lost her faith by the time they were married. But they talked about these things so infrequently that it wasn't until their daughter was born, years later, that her husband really understood that she wanted no part of religion at all. Here's how they make it work. They have a system, namely, they do not discuss it at all. - I'm not gonna push the issue because I want a good marriage. - What's their talk about? - That's why we leave-- - I mean, if we're gonna argue every time, I mean, if I don't believe anything he says, where's the talking? What are we gonna talk about? - I mean, it doesn't interfere in our everyday life. I mean, maybe he prays when somebody's not want to read the Bible constantly either,

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