Originally Posted by ernie

Hi,

I am also new to this forum and my case is similar to Artemis's, with the differences below. I am in need of some good advice here.
1. We have an only son, 17 years old, schooled in a Christian school.
2. My wife's slide into fundamentalist Christianity has been going on for almost 12 years now.
3. Nothing in our respective backgrounds has ever been related to religiousness in any way, shape or form. No members of our families, close or extended, are or have ever been religious (on the contrary my upbringing has been very freethinking).
4. Another important difference with Artemis's case, is that it was me who initially came in contact with some missionaries and then introduced her to them. It was just out of curiosity and I came to my senses pretty quick, but it still can be said that somehow I started my own downfall.
My wife's discourse in our familiar circles is completely different from her discourse in our church circles. In family (I mean extended family here) she is very reserved to talk about faith, especially in my presence. She is very close-minded and gets easily upset on this subject.
Her position in our controversy has been "let's love one another and accept the fact that we cannot change each other", but my main concern here is my son. So far I have been just a churchgoer, have criticized various aspects of fundamentalism, but never challenged it head-on. Now I'm afraid that if I start to do that, it may be troubling for him and I may do more harm than good. On the other side, it is very hurtful to see him acquiring the same beliefs his mom has. Is there any way to challenge this situation somewhat smoothly? Is there any way to save my marriage without continuing to be my wife's doormat as I have been so far? I am very open to any ideas about this, even more so because no one of my extended family or close friends would be able to fully comprehend the situation.

-Ernie