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Equally Yoked

There is a false understanding of what the parable means about being equally yoked. Let's examine:

A "yoke" is the wooden crossbeam around a pair of oxen or horses who are used for plowing or pulling loads.
The yoke is not the horse or ox. The yoke is what connects them together.

The verse does not say "Make sure that both horses are Arabian Stallions" or "Be sure the oxen are both Scotch Highland."

In fact, all two often we interpret that verse like this: "If one ox is Red Devon and one is Scotch Highland it is unequally yoked and against God's will." But, you see - it doesn't read that way at all.

It doesn't say make sure the horses are both the same or the oxen both the same. It says make sure the yoke that connects them is fitted equally so that they can pull the load in a compatible manner.

As a matter of fact, on necessity one might find a horse on one side and an oxen on the other side. This would not work unless the yoke was fitted properly.

You see we confuse this saying to think it is talking about the animals. It is not. It is talking about what connects them and helps them to work together.

So, you see, a Catholic and a Nondenominational certainly can be equally yoked. They can both have strong faith. They can both be of service. They can work together. They can let their differences meld together. Being equally yoked doesn't mean being exactly alike. It means being able to serve together compatibly.

So, there are two items within this particular question that we should clarify:

1. Can two people of differing faiths be equally yoked? The answer is YES. Can they be nondenominations and Catholic? YES.
2. Let's get rid of this very false assumption that Catholics are not "strong believers." It is demeaning, and not helpful and not true.

Bottom line: If it doesn't work for you -- don't do it.
But, if it works for anyone else, don't stand in their way.