chap 10

• Marriage

  • Bible teaches that it is a sacrament
  • “Husbands should love their wives as Jesus loved the church” - ephesians
  • Marriage should be: loving, lifelong, exclusive, fruitful
• • Marriage unites a couple in faithful and mutual love
  • Marriage opens a couple up to the giving of new life
• The vows are the sacrament, the marriage is the covenant but the signing of the register is just a legal contract

  The legal contract can be ended but the covenant cannot
• Pope Francis ‘not just good but beautiful’

  • Written after and interfaith conference in 2014
  • Celebrates the benefits of marriage
  • Reminds Catholics that marriage is the cornerstone of healthy families, communities and societies
• Other christians might see marriage as a religious ceremony but not a sacrament
• • Catholic church doesn’t permit same-sex marriages but other christian churches do
  • Because of this some same sex couples choose to co-habitate (live together)
  • However these couples dont’t have the same rights as married couples
  • The catholic church says that co-habitating creates temptation to have pre-marital sex
• Sex is a “joy and pleasure” and is a sign of “spiritual communion” -CCC
• People used to have to be in a nuclear family and not get divorced but now people are more open to the idea of a non-linear family and pre marital sex
• Non-religious Sex

  • Sex before marriage is acceptable within limits ,respecting consent and using morals
  • Two consenting adults having sex is acceptable in any form
• Catholic sex

  • pre-marital sex is always unacceptable
  • All forms of artificial contraception are wrong
  • Couples should be faithful
• catholic beliefs on family

  • The family was created by God
  • It is the basic unit of society
  • The place where children should be brought up
  • Where children learn to pray
  • “Domestic church”
• The ideas of family are based off of the holy family

  • Mary, Joseph and Jesus
• For Catholics a nuclear family (two parents and their children) is the best way to raise a child
• • Families are important to the parish life
  • Because of this the church offers practical and spiritual support for the family
• Family worship

  • Family mass can encourage those with younger children to grow in their faith
  • It allows them to spend time together
• Groups for children

  • Mother and children groups, youth clubs etc
  • Children's liturgy during mass gives time for children to grow in their faith with activities more suited to their age
• ”parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God” CCC
• the Catholic church believes that artificial contraception is wrong
• Humanae Vitae

  • written in 1968 by pope paul VI
  • Confirmed that preventing pregnancy contradicts the will of God
  • Couples should use natural methods of contraception
  • abortion is forbidden
• Non religious people tend to believe that contraception and abortion are peoples own choices
• • Most other Christians allow non-abortive contraception methods ( condoms )
  • E.g church of England say that contraception isn’t a sin or going against God’s purpose
  • Protestants apply situation ethics meaning depending on the situation different advice can be offered
• The Catholic church allows annulment (declaration that the marriage was never valid) but not divorce.
• A Catholic can only get remarried if…


  their partner has died
• ”I hate divorce , says the lord the God of Israel” malachi
• Other christian attitudes to divorce

  • Many other christians allow divorce and remarriage
  • Some suggest Jesus allowed divorce for adultery (matthew)
  • Some suggest it is the ‘lesser of two evils’
• Non religious attitudes to divorce

  • Marriage is not considered a sacrament so most support divorce
  • Do not object to remarriage
  • some believe in situation ethics
• Catholic view on divorce

  • Matrimony is a sacrament
  • The church offers support such as counselling for and marital problems
  • The needs of the family/children come before the individual
  • Sometimes it is necessary if it is harming someone involved
• • Church teaches that men and women should have equal roles and rights
  • Both men and women can teach the catechesis and distribute the Eucharist but women can’t be ordained
• Adam and eve can be interpreted depending on how you look at it

  • Similar - both were created in the inage of God (genesis), Both disobeyed God, both were cursed
  • Different - Eve was created from Adam’s rib, they are cursed for their disobedience in different ways
• “The husband and wife are called to give themselves in love“ CCC
• Some christian churches have female clergy or ministers
• “There is neither make nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus” galatians
• “Wives be subject to your husbands” ephisians
• “”Husbands love your wives as christ loved the church” ephesians
• Jesus acitvely combatted prejudice and discrimination

  • The samaritan woman at the well - John
  • The woman caught in adultery - John
  • The greek woman - mark
• Catholics oppose women’s ordination because

  • Jesus was male and had no female disciples
• "There is neither jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither slave nor free, for you are all one in christ jesus" Galatians
• • "Wives, be subject to your husbands as to the lord, for the husband is the head of the wife" Ephesians
  • Some may see this as wives should always submit to their husbands
  • But this was taken from a passage describing how everyone should be submissive to God
  • Another example from this passage is "be subject to one another out of reverence to Christ"
• times when Jesus treats women with respect

  • Samaritan woman at the well - John
  • the woman taken in adultery - john
  • The Greek woman - Matthew and mark
• The woman taken in adultery

  • The story of the adulteress describes how a woman was saved from being stoned to death by Christ's words