I keep losing track in discussions like this. Pisses me off.
Sorry guys, I'm sure my English will get better eventually.
Please have some patience :)

Maybe in Galway, definitely not in Dublin: any sense of zeal and religiousness has gone right down the drain in the last few decades. There are still devout believers, but they're much more tolerant by necessity. I sang in a church choir for 2 years where there were at least 5 of us (of about 20 people) who didn't take communion, noone ever made anything of it. In that same parish, you saw mixed race couples quite a lot.

I suppose you could put a lot of the tolerance down to a reduced hold of religion on society, but the effect is that for most people, there's no problems with that sorta stuff anymore.

Regarding dating someone religious: I've done it, kinda. I have no problems with someone believing in something, so long as they can back up their beliefs (which is my opinion with any point of view). Everyone is entitled to believe what they want, I won't be annoyed by it unless they try to convert me to their view, and I won't question it unless they haven't put any thought into why they believe what they do.

btw: s_k, if you're not sure what people are going on about, I'm sure most people will be happy to give a shortened explanation if it's going over your head!

No, ethnicity and cultural background never prevented me from dating someone. I always enjoyed dating people who were *not* from my background because then there was more to discover about the world by learning about that person's life, plus I always felt it was beautiful to experience that people with very different upbringings can still connect.

Most important to me was having a common denominator of wanting to be kind to each other.

None of the people I've dated has been vegetarian, by the way. Just thought people might find that interesting. All the people I've dated ate meat (at the time when we started dating. ;) One converted.)

I feel most comfortable with atheists and agnostics, but I have dated a few people who believed in a god, and one of them I was hoping to marry, so religion doesn't necessarily get in the way, either. I think I was always open to meeting new people and giving it a go if I liked them and they liked me! :)

I agree, Pedestrian, and actually feel that the differences add a lot to a relationship. As long as the person didn't try to press his culture onto me, but welcomed me to be involved as a way of enriching my life, then I enjoyed cultural differences.

My history pretty much summarizes my dating philosophy with respect to ethnicity. The ethnicities of people I've dated include these: German, German-American, Chinese, Iranian, Jewish, African-American, Mexican-American, El Salvadoran-American, Turkish, Italian, and a handful of Northern European-Americans.

you get about... ;)

I have travelled a bit in my years, have dated English, Scottish, German, Indonesian, Turkish and Australian Girls. from Cathlic to Muslim. Each individual is different and should be treated as such, with allowances made for their beliefs etc. Be a good person and true to who you are and all is well.

I'm not particular about race. It's never really played a huge factor in me being attracted/not being attracted to someone.

Right now I'm in an interracial relationship (my boyfriend's African-American), but we come from pretty similar socioeconomic backgrounds. I wouldn't even say we're really all that different culturally. But the way other people percieve us & our relationship is a lot different than how it would be if he was white.

Im in love with a stripper.

I like to consider myself a pretty tolerant person. I don't really pay attention to race at all. I've dated and slept with girls of several races and backgrounds. But when I see a white girl/woman with a black guy I still get sick to my stomach. I don't know what it is, and I hate myself for it, but it just makes me sick.

I'm all about other dating people of a different ethnicity than my own. In fact, I prefer it. Not only are exotic women the bee's knees just because it is different from what I am typically used to, but it also gives you a better chance at having a healthy kid. Survival of a species is based on genetic diversity...the more diversity there is, the more chance to have healthy offspring. There is less chance of a harmful gene being passed on. This is why incest is bad. This is why having a kid with someone as far removed from your gene pool as possible is good.

So, keep that in mind, folks. This is the ultimate proof that racism is dumb.

i dont feel "attracted" to certain races because of their stereotypical looks. I know that sounds horrendous too. I dont typically feel attracted to asians. But i find with asian men theyre either unbelievably hot, or unnattractive. That is for instance btw. I find the same outcome with a few other races. I reallly reallly love spanish men, swedish men, AUSTRALIAN MEN!! Im not counting accents. I love mostly all accents different to my own. I also couldnt really date anyone too religious (sp?) as i find they want everyone to share their beliefs, i couldnt share my life with someone like that. Id basically like to date someone with similar beliefs to my own. An Athiest. Im on my phone. Ill come back to this.