@iamjc I lived in LA for 30 years, so I'm very familiar with the real world. But family health issues with my mom have brought me back to the buckle on the Bible Belt, so for the moment at least, I have to make the best of it.

“Must love god first”. Congratulations you have a bunch of honest and reasonable people weeding themselves out.

Same here only from men saying, "Must be a Godly women." Nope...move on!! LOL.

I can't begin to tell you how many dating site profiles I've come across that say "God is my #1 guy!" I constantly fight the urge to write back "Really? Then perhaps God will be willing to pick up the check for dinner."

I’m sure Mormon country is a hard place for it. They are even more tight knit and clut like than mainstream Christianity.

Time to set a goal and MOVE !!!

O.....M....G Awful!!!

The silver lining is you see their true colors before you’re deep in with them.

@TimothyNovelo This is correct. We just had a dinner at an expensive restaurant and I was hoping for some heavy breathing later. Religion is the great divider. Anyway, I did dodge a bullet with this nutcase.

@GuyKeith Yikes, expensive restaurant. I'm sorry. Depends on your def of expensive tho I guess. I'm fine with coffee at first as of this writing. That would have saved you some grief and frustration.
Save the impressing thing until that basic detail is out of the way for sure. But once you find that someone who ticks most of the boxes, don't ever make the mistake of going on "auto pilot" or bleep dies.

@Qualia Well, two people, two George Washingtons. Meal and a bottle of Cab. I didn't mind, the meal was spectacular and like I said, we were really getting along until religion got in the way.

@GuyKeith What a shame

@ki-bee I use Twice Born™ and Religiously Impaired™. I think I invented the second one.

Obviously uneducated to respond like that to you. Don't give up...there are plenty of educated women to take her place!!! You just haven't met her yet!

I hear you! I was dating someone and we shared many things in common. But over dinner one night, I asked her what type of man she would never date and she said without hesitation "I would NEVER date an athiest!" ("Check, please!...)

@ki-bee I always insist upon coffee first in a place with clearly-marked exit signs. ?

That’s right. No quitters here.

Nope. Strong Atheist.

OK, I admit it. I've listed "spiritual, but not religious" and "humanist;" a cowardly move, I know. I guess I figured a rational discussion about (or lack thereof) would eventually transpire, should things get to that point. (OK, I also wanted to get more dates). But I came to discover time-after-time (at least in these parts) that not having a religious affiliation and holding a non-theistic worldview tends to be a dealbreaker, no matter the level of compatibility in many other areas. In my experience, religious tribalism has served to separate people far more than it has to bring them together.

@EltonRon You captured my thoughts and experiences exactly. It doesn't seem to matter if the prospective date is a hardcore Xian, a Xian lite or Xian in name only, they automatically reject you if you're a non-believer - as though that qualifies you as the devil. This phenomenon applies in the big city as well as small rural areas. When I substituted "no religion" with "spiritual but not religious" I got dates again and the subject doesn't even come into play at all again. Weird!

@jujuofthesea It's become the new norm. Some athiests don't help matters, though, since they turn atheism into it's own form of tribal , touting themselves as superior in a form of intellectual elitism. My brother Dale, a humanist author ("Athiesm For Dummies," "Parenting Beyond Belief," "In Faith and In Doubt" ) and blogger sees these sorts of rabidly aggressive militant behavior from athiests all the time, so certainly does not hold a monopoly on non-tolerance. Unfortunately, those sorts of behaviors only serve to make the problem worse. Say "no " on a dating site and you bear the Mark of Cain (ironic reference intended).

I’m glad you found a good one. I have plenty of friends who are religious so I know not everyone has those hang ups, but sheesh, it’s just one more thing to worry about in the minefield that is dating b

@TampaHeathen Don't blame you ! It seems that many churches think that everyone out there needs to give them money. But that one is easy - only let them have what YOU think they should have on behalf of your wife - not you, a non-member. uh-uh

I love hearing stories like that. In my case, my lack of has been a dealbreaker on more than one occassion, despite levels of compatibility in other areas.