Marriage and Christainity
Marriage and Christainity
Marriage and Christainity
The importance and purpose of marriage for Christians Lifelong The idea that marriage can only be ended by the
• Jesus believed in monogamy and that marriage should be between one man and one relationship death of a partner
woman
• The Christian Church follows Jesus in teaching that God created woman and man for Procreation Making a new life
each other and that marriage is a life long relationship
Sacraments An outward ceremony through which God’s grace is
Christian Church teach that God created marriage
given
So that a couple can have a lifelong relationship of love and faithfulness
So that a couple can have the support and comfort of each other and enjoy sex in a Grace God’s gift which gives strength to be good and holy
the way God intended for procreation of children
So that children can be brought up in a Christian family Cohabitation Living together in a sexual relationship without being
As a way for the couple to show their love for each other and to gain God’s grace to married
help them in their married life
Spouse Marriage/cohabitation partner
Marriage is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic and Orthodox churches, because
adultery A sexual act between a married person and someone
of this, Catholic marriage involves not just the bride and groom and also God himself.
who is not their marriage partner
Even though in Catholicism monks and nun are forbidden to marry, marriage is very
important because: Sacred bond A joining together sanctified by God which cannot be
• Marriage was created by God as the way of establishing and preserving society broken
• Marriage is the only acceptable way for Christians to have a sexual relationship
Humanist and atheist attitudes to marriage
“…a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will Humanists believe sex and marriage are matters for the individual
become one flesh” (mark 10:6-8) decisions. I tis up to individuals whether they live together without
“….what God has joined together, let no man separate” (Mark 10:9-10) marrying or get married in a civil ceremony. However, humanists expect
“…Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery” (mark 10:11) sexual relationships to be based on respect and trust. They believe the
relationship should be exclusive and many believe marriage is a good
thing when raising a family because it provides:
How Christians respond to non – religious attitudes to marriage and cohabitation • A stable environment – legally and financially
• More social acceptance of the relationship
• More stable home for the family
Three different responses from the Churches: • A public ritual to declare and celebrate a couple’s love
• Roman Catholic Church; condemn the non religious attitudes and insist Christians
should refrain from having sex until that have a Christian marriage It is now socially quite acceptable for couples to live together without
• Liberal Protestants; accept couples living together before marriage, but expect being married; 5.9 million people were cohabiting in 2012; doubled that
couples to marry before starting a family. Will only accept sex to be between a of 1996. 80% of 30 – year olds say they have cohabited at some point in
couple committed to a long term relationship: ‘recognising that for many, this is a their lives
step along the way to the fuller commitment of marriage’ (Something to *Marriage is still important to the non – religious! In 2012, the number of
celebrate, a report published by the CoE 1997) marriages in England and Wales actually increased by 5.3%. In 2013 the
• Most under 40 churchgoers respond by ignoring the Church's teaching. For Marriage Act came about which now allows same sex couples to marry in
example in the USA 2014 61% of Christians would have sex before marriage and just the same way as a heterosexual couple, however it did not require
56% thought it appropriate to move in with someone after dating for six months. religions to provide same sex ceremonies.
RE Knowledge Organiser: Christianity Marriage and the family Key Terms Definitions
Families
Families Same-sex Families
Nuclear Family The Civil Partnership Act of 2004 provided same sex couples with the
Technically a nuclear family is one where a mother, father and children are living same rights and treatment as opposite-sex couples who enter into a
together as a unit. Most religious people view it as a married couple of opposite sex
civil marriage. The Marriage Act (Same Sex couples) 2013 allowed same
living together with their children. Fifty years ago, such a nuclear family was regarded as
the normal family. However of the 7.9 million families with dependant children, in UK sex couples to marry in just the same way as heterosexual couples, but
2014, only 4.75 million were married couple families. Two million families consist of a does not require religions to provide same sex marriage ceremonies.
single parent and dependant children and 1.17 million families are headed by The Equality Act 2010 made discriminating against same sex couples
cohabitating couples. (statistics from the ONS) illegal, so giving them equal adoption and fostering rights.
Each parish has a Parish Priest (Usually known as a vicar in the Church of England) and Clergy Those ordained by the Church
centres around a parish church (the church for the local area)
First First time a person receives the sacrament of the
communion Eucharist (Children receive lessons before the special
Support for the family in the local parish ceremony)
How the Parish tries to help families
Parishes try to help families because they have a duty to help children baptised or How the Parish tries to help families cont.
dedicated into the Church. There are a number of ways in which parishes help and • There are also counselling services such as: ‘Good News Family Care’,
support families Catholic Marriage Care, the National Catholic Child Welfare Council and
• Local Church primary and secondary schools – these provide Christian education the Children’s Society (CoE) Diocese in the CoE have special children
and worship alongside the standard education. The school buildings are provided and family officers to provide help for families in the diocese.
and maintained by the Church. The teachers and equipment are paid for by the • Most Church services include prayers for families and for spiritual
state strength for parents to fulfil their responsibilities.
• Many Churches are exploring new ways to be more family friendly. Churches • Many Churches run toddler groups and Messy Church to help parents
believe that family life can be strengthened by families worshipping together. with young children to socialise and learn from each other
Family worship helps to unite the family and gives families the opportunity to • Many parishes run groups such as cubs, brownies, guides, scouts etc
discover religion together which encourage children to become good citizens. Some parishes run
• Sunday schools – where children can learn about the Christian faith in a child youth groups to keep children safe and away from bad influences.
centred environment while their parents attend church. • The Churches are trying to ensure that the needs of young people are
• Parishes also help families through Rites of Passage – for example; baptism where attended to be establishing such groups as the Methodist Youth
the priest/minister will meet with the family before the sacrament and gives advice Conference, Church of England Youth Council and International
and guidance. Anglican Youth Network
• Confirmation classes – are run for children before they are confirmed or in the
Roman Catholic church – before their First holy Communion. These classes help
parents with the Christian upbringing of their children as they bring their children Why do parishes try to help families?
into full membership of the church. • Parishes have a duty to help children baptised or dedicated to the
• Most parishes offer help with parents/couples keeping their marriage vows – this is church
done through counselling. • The Church teaches that one of the main purposes of marriage is to
have children and raise them in a secure and loving place – the Parish
must be able to help provide this.
• The Church has a social duty to help parents bring their children up in
a Christian environment
• The family is the place where children are introduced to the religion.
If the parish does not help with this Christianity will not grow
Key Terms Definitions
RE Knowledge Organiser: Christianity Marriage and the family
Conception Creating a life
Family Planning
Contraception is something that allows a couple to have sex without conception occurring. Allowing a
couple to control the number of children they have. The use of contraception in the West has become very
Contracepti Artificial barrier which prevents
popular (it is estimated that 90% of the sexually active population of childbearing age in the UK use some
on conception (pregnancy)
form of contraception.) People try to control the number of children they have for many reasons:
• For the health of the mother
• To avoid the risk of not being able to provide for the existing family Childbearin The age when a woman is capable
• To maintain good standards of living for the family unit g age of having children
Natural methods require the couple to be in a loving, stable relationship as they require planning and
Maternal To do with the mother
sufficient love and concern for the partner to give up sex at certain times of the month, AS they are natural
they do not involve any drugs or any risks of promoting early abortions. Natural methods do not prevent
STDs. Paternal To do with the father
RE Knowledge Organiser: Christianity Marriage and the family Situation Ethics
Situation Ethics is the belief that Christians should make moral
decisions based on looking at the moral situation and deciding
Christian attitudes to contraception which choice would give the most loving outcome. This is based
There are two main attitudes to contraception among Christians: on the teaching of Jesus; that the greatest commandment is to
1) The Catholic attitude love God and to love your neighbour. Christians who believe in
The Catholic Church teaches that sexual intercourse is a gift from God as a source of joy and Situation Ethics would say that people should use contraception
pleasure to married couples (The unitive purpose) as well as a means of creating a family (the because it:
creative purpose). The Church also teaches that Christians should practice responsible • Improves the health and well being of the woman
parenthood by deciding on the number of children to have and when to have them. However, • Prevents many children suffering, because ever child will be a
the Catholic was to achieve this is through using natural methods of family planning. The wanted child
Church teaches that using artificial methods of contraception is going against God’s intentions. • By reducing the rates of unintended pregnancies; it reduces
They believe this because: the need for unsafe abortions
• In 1968, Pope Paul VI affirmed the teachings of Pope Pius XI which condemned all forms of • Reduces the risk of unintended pregnancies among women
artificial contraception, and the teaching of Pope Pius XII who declared that Catholics could living with HIV, resulting in fewer infected babies and orphans
use natural methods of contraception as these were part of God’s creation. • Provides dual protection against unintended pregnancies and
• Artificial methods separate the unitive AND creative aspects of sex, which is not what God against STIs including HIV if using male and female condoms
intended.
• Some contraceptives have abortifacient effects and so are against the teachings of the
Church. Christian responses to non religious attitudes to contraception
• The Catholic Church regards contraception as a major cause of sexual promiscuity, broken As Protestant and Orthodox Christians agree with the non
families and the rise in the divorce rate and STDs religious attitudes to contraception, it is only the Roman Catholic
Church which has responded to them. The church continues to
2) The attitude of non – Catholic Christians issue statements to Catholic couples that they must only use
Almost all non – Catholic Christians believe that all forms of contraception are permissible as natural methods of contraception. However, a lot of Catholics
long as they are used to restrict family size and not simply to stop having children altogether. seem to have responded by accepting the non religious attitudes.
They have this attitude because: A survey in th eUS questioned more than 12,000 Catholics in
• Christianity is about love and justice, and contraception improves maternal health and twelve countries . It discovered that 78% supported the use of
raises the standard of living of children as families are smaller artificial birth control
• God created sex for enjoyment and to cement the bonds of marriage. Within marriage,
contraception allows the role of sex to be separate from making children and this is not
against God’s will. Key Terms Definitions
• There is nothing in the Bible that forbids the use of contraception.
• Non-Catholic Christians believe that it is better to combat HIV/AIDS by using condoms Situation Christian belief in following Jesus’ teaching of love
rather Ethics thy neighbour; basing each situation on whether
it is the most loving thing to do
Humanist and Atheist attitudes to contraception Creative Sex as a mean to create a family
Are in favour of contraception because they assess the rights and wrongs of birth control by Purpose
looking at its consequences. They argue that as contraception prevent unwanted children from
being born, improves the material and emotional standard of living in families and prevents Unitive Sexual activity as a source of joy and pleasure to
the spread of STDs; it must be morally right to use it. Purpose unite a married couple
Humanists argue that if contraception ‘results in every child being a wanted child, and in
better, healthier lives for women, it must be a good thing’ (British Humanist Association)
RE Knowledge Organiser: Christianity Marriage and the family Key Terms Definitions
Divorce and remarriage
Sacrament An outward ceremony through which God’s grace is
In the 1950’2 there were 30 thousand divorces in the UK, by 2012 there were over 118
given
thousand . Clearly attitudes to divorce changed greatly between 1950 and now.
This could be because: Civil divorce A divorce according to the law of the country but not
• New laws made divorce much cheaper and easier to obtain the Church
• Increased equality meant that women were no longer prepared to treat unequal
treatment from men Annulment A declaration by the Church that a marriage was never
• Equal rights laws meant many women were financially independent and could a true marriage and so the partners are free to marry
afford to live well after divorce Consummate Complete a marriage through sexual intercourse
Although 42% of marriage are likely to end in divorce in the UK; 58% are not and
around 10% of married couples should reach their diamond anniversary¬ (60 years of Covenant A religious agreement made between God and a
marriage!!) religious group/person
Until 2000, most people who divorced remarried within ten years of their divorce. Non Catholic views:
However, remarriage has declined as more divorced people are choosing to cohabit Most non – Catholic Churches think that divorce is wrong, but allow it if the
instead. marriage has broken down. Most of these Churches allow divorced people
to remarry.
Christian teachings on divorce • Jesus allowed divorce in Matthew 19:9
In some places in the Gospels, Jesus seems to ban divorce and remarriage but in others • They believe that there are certain situations where Christians must
seems to allow divorce on the grounds of adultery. choose ‘the lesser of two evils’. If a marriage has really broken down
then the effects of the couple not divorcing would be a greater evil than
“…Therefore what God has joined together, let no separate…” (Mark 10:9) the ‘evil’ of divorce.
“…. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife , except for sexual immorality, and • Christians allow forgiveness and a new chance if they confess their sins
marries another woman commits adultery” (Matthew 19:3 – 9) and are truly repentant. This belief in forgiveness should apply to
divorce and remarriage as much as anything else.
St Paul says Christians should not divorce, but if they do they must not remarry.
“To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate
Atheist and Humanist views
from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else reconcile with
Atheists do not believe in God and so they regard marriage as a purely
her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.” (1 Corinthians 7:10)
human and legal institution. Some atheists do not believe in marriage and
would cohabit and so would have no need to divorce. Many atheists would
The Catholic attitude have the same attitude towards divorce and remarriage and most
The catholic Church does not allow religious divorce or remarriage. Catholics see humanists (who are mainly atheists):
marriage as a sacrament and the exchange of vows means that the only way a marriage • All married couples should have the right to divorce if they feel the
between baptised Catholics can end (religiously) is by the death of one of the partners marriage has failed
or if the marriage is annulled. • Divorce should make sure that the spouses are treated equally in the
financial arrangements
The Catholic Church does not allow for the legal separation of spouses and in the eyes • Divorce should make sure that any children are well provided for
of God they are still married. And so cannot remarry. • Any divorce person should be treated as a single person and so have
the right to remarry if they so wish
As there can not be religious divorce, there cannot be religious remarriage because
that would be the same as bigamy and adultery; both of which are considered a very
serious sin.
RE Knowledge Organiser: Christianity Marriage and the family
Situation ethics regarding divorce
Christians, Humanists and atheists often apply an ethical theory to deal with divorce and remarriage. One such theory is Situation Ethics. This is the theory which began with
an American Christian thinker; Joseph Fletcher. Fletcher taught that although the rules of the Bible or the Church are important, they can sometimes be altered by a
situation. For example; the Bible and the Church sat that stealing is wrong. However if we found a madman who had gained possession of a nuclear weapon, it would surely
be right to steal the weapon from him!
People who apply Situation Ethics look at the situation, decide on the pros and cons of the possible choices and then determine what would be THE MOST LOVING THING TO
DO.
So, in the case of divorce;
Advantage
• It brings domestic peace and emotional security as it removes the conflict
• It ends children’s exposure to damaging parental conflict
• It gives a chance for a fresh start for the spouses and the opportunities for new, better relationships
Disadvantages:
• It is expensive – apart from the legal costs, divorce usually means selling the family home
• It can hurt children as they are forced to choose between parents and may have to select which one to live with
• It hurts family relatives as they often lose contact with the children if their relation is not awarded custody
• It causes stress
After weighing this up, the next step is to look at the people involved and try to work out the best, most loving thing to do.
Equality of men and women in the family Atheist and Humanist attitudes to equal roles of men
Christians have different attitudes to the roles of men and women in the family. This could be because the bible has and women in the family
three different teachings:
• Genesis 1 teaches the equality of men and women as they were created at the same time and were both Atheists would tend to have the same attitudes to
created in the image of God. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male equal roles as the general, non religious population.
and female he created them” (Gen 1:27) However, their opinions have changed greatly. In
• However, in Genesis 2 and 3 it says that woman was created after man and out of his rib, therefore, woman is 1965; 85% of men agreed that the ‘man’s job is to
‘subordinate’ to man. These chapters also explain that evil came into the world as the fault of Eve as she was earn money, a woman’s job is to look after the home
persuaded by the serpent(devil) and she then persuaded Adam. As a result, God says to the woman: “I will make and family.’ in 1989 only 32% of men agreed with the
your pains in childbearing severe; with painful labour you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your statement, and by 2008 only 17% of men agreed.
husband and he will rule over you” (Gen 3:16)
• St Paul says in Ephesian 5:21-30 that wives should submit to their husband because the husband is the head if The most common non religious attitude is that men
the wife in the same way that Christ is head of the Church. This implies that the wife should do as she is told by and women have equal role in the family. The main
the husband. However St Paul also says that husbands should love their wives in the same way they love their reasons for the change are:
own bodies. However, his words that a husband should feed and care for his body implies that men should feed • The development of equal rights for women (sex
and care for their wives, reinforcing the subservience of women discrimination is now illegal, there is the equal pay
Evangelical Protestant: act and the sex discrimination act)
Teach that men and women have separate and different roles. It is the role of the woman to bring up children and • Social and industrial developments in the 50’s and
run a Christian home. The role of the man is to provide for the family and lead the family in religion. 60’s led top more women workers needed
Liberal Protestant: • The work of the suffragettes and the feminist
Now accept that men and women are equal and should have equal roles in life and the family. movements to gain equal voting and political
Catholics: rights for women showed men in authority that
Teaches that men and women should have equal roles in life and family – based on Genesis 1:27, the Church women were no longer prepared to be mistreated
teaches that men and women have equal status in the sight of God.
RE Knowledge Organiser: Christianity Marriage and the family
Liberal Protestants
• Women should have equal roles in the family , equal rights in life
Gender prejudice and discrimination and in the church.
• God created male and female at the same time and of equal status
Gender prejudice is believing that one sex is superior to another based on feelings • The letters of Paul teaches that Christ is neither male or female
rather than an assessment of evidence. • Jesus treated women equally
• Evidence proves that there were women priest in the early Church.
Gender discrimination is putting the prejudice into practice and treating people •
differently because of their sex .
Evangelical Protestants
• Evangelical Protestants teach that men and women have separate and different Prejudice and Discrimination in the UK
roles and therefore cannot have equal rights in religion.
• Women should not speak in church, they should not teach and they should be • 65% of adults agreed that sexism is still a problem in the UK (YouGov
submissive to their husbands. survey 2014)
• Men should provide for their family and lead out in worship. • On average , 2 women per week are killed by a violent partner or ex-
• Men should love their wives as themselves partner (Department of Health 2005)
• They believe that this is not discrimination because God ordained it. • Up to 3 million women and girls in the UK experience rape, domestic
• The story of Adam and Eve shows that men are more important because Adam violence, stalking or other violence each year (academic research
was created first. 2009).
• Almost one in three girls experience unwanted sexual toughing in
The Catholic Church*+ schools (YouGov survey 2010).
• The Catholic Church is against gender prejudice and discrimination.
• They teach that men and women should have equal roles in life and equal rights
in society.
• Genesis1:27 teaches that God created both man and woman in His image.
• The Catholic Catechism teaches that men and women are should have equal Keywords
rights in life and society. Ordained- either set down by God or to be made a priest
• Women are able to study and teach in their theological colleges. Catholic Catechism- the official teaching of the Roman
• Women can officiate Holy Communion services.
• The Roman Catholic however teaches that only men can be ordained priests as
Catholic Church
the priest represents Jesus at the Mass.