Dear Diva Rebecca,

Six months ago my boyfriend broke up with me because we are different religions (he's Jewish, I'm Protestant). Although we are not religious at all, he was insistent on marrying a Jew. In the beginning of our relationship he was open to dating a non-Jew, but in the end he decided he could not date non-Jews anymore. He said even if she (I) were to convert she still hadn't been raised Jewish and was only converting to be with him. We only dated 3 months but it was enough time for me to find out that he was a great love of my life. I want very much to rekindle our relationship and mend my broken heart. When we broke up he said his feelings never changed and that he still loved me and would have a special place in his heart for me always. I've done everything I'm supposed to do to move on but the feelings and the heart break are not relieved. I've stayed away from him to avoid the pain and if I keep in touch I will only try to get him back. Lately I've thought that it's worth the risk to try to get him back because if his love was really honest, we can work out our religious conflicts and rekindle our love for each other. I'm curious to know what approach to take.

Sincerely,

Christian,
Alpharetta, Georgia

Dear Christian,

What you are experiencing is an excuse, nothing more. If he considered you his great love, nothing would stand in his way, not even religion. And if his religious convictions were as strong as they seem to be now, he would never have begun dating you. Also, if religion was that important to him, a consideration of a religion switch on your part should appeal to him greatly if he was truly in love with you. He is using the excuse of the difference of religion now to make the breakup easier on you. He is trying to give you a good excuse.

You have to give him credit, he is trying to protect your heart. But his excuse was easy to see through.

Now you must realize that this man did not feel the same way about you as you did about him. You need to try and move on. Three months is not a very long time to be dating someone. You may have very strong feelings for this guy, but trust me, he is NOT the great love of your life. The great love of your life will reciprocate your feelings and will love you no matter what the obstacle. It is my opinion that you can not truly love someone unless they love you back.

Sincerely,

Diva Rebecca