DR. WALLACE: I am a Christian. My boyfriend is a wonderful fellow, but he happens to be an atheist and says he will remain an atheist until the day he leaves this earth.

I love him and he loves me and we plan to get married in a year. My parents are also Christians and they are against me marrying an atheist. They are horrified at the thought. I keep telling him that once we are married, I feel I can help him to become a Christian, but my parents do not see it as a possibility. What do you think? I would never become an atheist. - Nameless, Portland, Maine.

NAMELESS: It would be a huge mistake to enter into marriage with the idea you can encourage your husband to convert to Christianity. If you firmly believe this is possible, this conversation must take place before marriage. After you do your very best to have him accept and become a Christian and he refuses, forget about marriage and end the relationship. It would have been very difficult for him, when married, to be an atheist with a Christian wife.

PETS ARE FAITHFUL FRIENDS

DR. WALLACE: I'd like to have a pet. I'd prefer a puppy, but even a pet rat would be fine. My mom won't let me have a puppy because she says they are dirty, messy, expensive to care for, noisy, full of fleas, and a lot more bad things. What can I do to change her mind? I live alone with my mother and a pet would be a great friend for me, especially when Mom isn't home. - Amy, Erie, Pa.

AMY: Having a pet requires responsibility. Besides needing food and daily care, the pet should be trained and, in the case of dogs and cats, neutered or spayed. But I believe a pet is well worth the cost and effort. Pets are faithful friends who can bring immense joy and longer lives, to their owners.

Almost half of all families have at least one family member that barks, meows, chirps, squeaks, slithers, or croaks. Invite Mom to take a visit to the local animal shelter with you. It just might get her to change her mind about having a pet.

IT'S BETTER THAN NOTHING

DR. WALLACE: You always told teens that abstinence was the only way to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Then I read where you told a sexually active girl to make sure that her partner used a condom during sexual activity.

Are you not aware that some people who use condoms are called parents in nine months and that some can catch a sexually transmitted disease even though a condom was used?

Please remind teens that the only way to avoid STD's and pregnancies is to not have sex! — Mother, Galesburg, Ill.

MOTHER: I never neglect to tell teens that abstinence is the only way to avoid pregnancy, and that is 100 percent certain. I'm going to reach most teen readers with this message, but not all of them.

For those who choose to be sexually active, I prefer that they have the odds on their side. Condoms are 95 percent effective at preventing pregnancy and 85 percent effective at protecting against sexually transmitted disease. This is not as good as abstinence, but it's a lot better than nothing.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.