Christian friend is dating an atheist. Advice?

[Aquatic_blue]

So, I have a friend and we're fairly close, but lately it seems to be drifting apart since she got a boyfriend. We'll call my friend Stacy and we'll call her boyfriend Jacob. Anyway, I know that when Stacy met this guy, she was crazy for him. I didn't know what else to say, I didn't think he seemed like a mean guy. When we were all sitting at a group thing, I heard Jacob talking to someone saying, "Oh, well, the original manuscripts in Hebrew mention nothing about Hell. Hell is just something that man made up to scare people into religion. Hell does not exist." as well as, "Going to church isn't even Biblical. Church is just something that man made up to be a social event with overly religious people." I mean, it was some clearly saddening to hear somebody say that and I became concerned since Stacy liked this guy and believes in God. I'm not sure if Stacy heard it or not, she was right beside me at the time. However, it makes me nervous because from what I've seen, Jacob doesn't seem to be the best influence on her. I'm afraid that Stacy is staying in this relationship with Jacob because she's afraid she won't find another guy since she hasn't dated in quite a while.

It concerns me because I've talked with Stacy, she's my friend, and I know that she does believe that God exists and we have had Christian discussions about God and such and yet she's dating Jacob who clearly doesn't believe in God.

I'm even more concerned because I have noticed a change in Stacy's attitude in a various amount of ways. I'm concerned I suppose about how this relationship is going to affect her since she does believe in God. Some days I want to bluntly tell her about it. Other days I think to myself, "It's not your business - stay out of it." But as her sister in Christ, I am dead concerned. I am afraid I suppose of them getting married and then her having to go through a heartbreaking divorce since God won't be the center of the marriage for both individuals. I've mentioned to her to pray about this relationship. I know that brothers and sisters in Christ should bring up concerns like this, but one, I am not sure if I should bring this up. Two, if I did, how would I be able to say it in a nice way?

TL;DR: I have a friend, Stacy, who is dating an atheist, Jacob, and I'm concerned that the relationship could end badly or that they'll move fast, jump into marriage, and have a lot of unpleasant conflicts due to beliefs. I would like to bring this up to Stacy since she is a fellow sister in Christ, but I am unsure how to do so or if I even should. Your thoughts?  

[hafunny]

So it is definitely something you should really pray for and seek God out on. No matter what advice you do get on the matter...

If God does lead you to say something.... Make sure that you are using specific examples of what you see changing, not just some blanket "he's affecting you" thing.... And also, try to word yourself carefully. Don't come at it accusing the boyfriend, like it is his fault, because that can make things go south quickly. She might shut down and just think that you are judging her boyfriend.

UHM. As to whether you should or shouldn't say something, I'm not too sure. That's why you might want to seek God in prayer and his word on this......... (I mean, even if I was sure about what you should do, you should always seek God for a final answer. He needs to be your ultimate authority, not some people on the internet. smile )

 

[Blaise-Ingram]

You can pray for them, but other than that it's probably not your business.

There's several possible outcomes, though:

1) If things don't work out for them and she values God more than him, their relationship will fall apart anyways.
2) If things don't work out and she values him more than God, she'll fall out of her faith, if possible.
3) He'll end up as a Christian somehow. Best case scenario, but also least likely.

"Going to church isn't even Biblical. Church is just something that man made up to be a social event with overly religious people."
^^^
Jacob is actually mostly right about that part, though. Jesus defined church as a gathering of two or more people in God's name. The formality of going to a physical building and taking place in worship ceremonies and sacraments and traditions is a human invention. God doesn't benefit from us going to church, it's really made for us humans to find fellowship in one another and Christ. But it's not a mandatory requirement.

I'd like to see their relationship work out, though, and have him turn to Christ. That would be really awesome, so I'll pray for that to happen.