RS Themes

• Marriage


  A legal, public, declaration of life-long love and commitment
• Christian marriage


  For some Christians it is a sacrament – a sign of God's grace/power at work in their lives
• Purposes of Christian marriage

  • Procreation – Reproduction... having and raising children together
  • The 'proper' setting for a sexual relationship – Sex is the proper expression of married love
  • 'Mutual Society' - Growing in a relationship of care and concern for each other
• Responsibilities of parents


  • Raise children as good child –moral values
  • Provide for them –food/shelter
  • Education
  • Raise children in the church. -to teach them the faith
• Marriage vows


  • For better or for worse
  • For richer, for poorer
  • In sickness and in health
  • Until death
• Pressures on marriages


  • Parents pressure in children
  • Step/half families
  • Money
  • Work
  • Health
  • Different beliefs (Different Religions)
  • Children
• Divorce


  A legal process which ends in a deceleration that the marriage is at an end
• Divorce Reform Act passed

  1973
• Irretrievable breakdown


  Cannot be fixed (beyond help)
• Examples of irretrievable breakdown

  • 2-year separation
  • adultery
  • violence
• Christians dealing with marriage breakdown

  • They have to uphold and proclaim the sanctity of marriage as it is expressed in Jesus and Church teaching
  • They need to respond to people in difficulties as Jesus did, with love, forgiveness, and compassion
• Ways Christian churches support marriages before breakdown

  • Counselling for people who have specific problems
  • Counselling to help people deal with what happens when a marriage ends in death, divorce, or separation
  • Help for couples who want to improve their relationship through therapy and counselling
• Divorce in Britain is too easy. We do not do enough to help couples sort out problems in their marriages.
• Christian thinking on remarriage and divorce


  Upholding the "sanctity of marriage" vs compassion and understanding for those in difficult situations
• Christian teachings on divorce and marriage

  • Divorce should be allowed because God forgives and allows a new start
  • Divorce should not be allowed because Jesus said divorce and remarriage is the same as adultery
• Purposes of sex for Christians

  • Procreation (having children)
  • Expression of (married) love
  • For mutual pleasure
• Christian attitudes towards sex

  • Sex is a gift from God
  • Sex is an important expression of love so it should not be trivialised
  • Sex is creative; it creates children so that should happen in a marriage which is best for the children
  • Sex is creative in that it develops relationships and relationships can have their fullest development in a stable relationship such as marriage
  • Sex is the most intimate expression of love which communicates commitment so it should only be an expression of love when there is total commitment as in marriage
  • Casual sexual relationships often lead to people being regarded as commodities
  • St Paul taught that sex outside marriage is wrong
  • Jesus implied that sex was appropriate only within marriage when he talked about lust being something to be avoided
• Contrasting Christian views on sex before marriage

  • Some Christians e.g. Catholic and Anglican think sex should only be in marriage
  • Other Christians e.g. Quakers think couples can be loving and faithful in relationships outside of marriage
• Types of contraception


  • Hormonal (chemical) methods e.g. pill
  • Barrier methods, e.g. condoms
  • Natural Family planning/furtility awarness
• Contrasting Christian beliefs about contraception

  • Roman Catholic Church teaches artificial methods of contraception are wrong because sex is a gift of God and all sexual acts should be open to the possibility of children in a committed relationship
  • Anglican Church and Quakers believe using artificial contraception in a committed relationship is acceptable because sex is good in itself and there can be good reasons to delay or space your family
• Homosexuality


  Sexual attraction (relationship)
• Christian views on homosexuality

  • Homosexuality is a sin and should be condemned as it goes against the will of God in creation
  • While being homosexual is not wrong or sinful, because that's how God created you, homosexual acts are not right, as they are not the ideal which God gives for sex as an expression of married love between a man and a woman
  • Homosexual relationships should be judged on the same basis as heterosexual relationships – if they are committed, respectful, loving and exclusive then they are good. Homosexuals are created in the image of God and can reflect his love
  • Homosexuality is a gift of God in creation and should be celebrated
• Contrasting Christian views on homosexuality

  • Some Christians believe homosexual relationships are not acceptable and may be sinful
  • Other Christians believe homosexual relationships (and same-sex marriage) are acceptable and a gift from God
• The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill became law in July 2013. The first same sex weddings took place in 2014.
• What the Act allows

  • Allow same sex couples to marry in civil ceremonies
  • Allow same sex couples to marry in religious ceremonies, where the religious organisation has 'opted in' to conduct such ceremonies and the minister of religion agrees
  • Protect those religious organisations and their representatives who don't wish to conduct marriages of same sex couples from successful legal challenge
  • Enable civil partners to convert their partnership to a marriage, if they wish
  • Enable married individuals to change their legal gender without having to end their marriage
• The bill specifies that the Church of England and Church in Wales would be banned in law from offering same-sex marriages.
• Civil partnership


  A legal relationship exclusively for same-sex couples, distinct from marriage. It offers the same legal treatment as marriage across a range of matters.
• Reasons campaigners want same-sex marriage

  • Separate civil partnerships perpetuate the notion that same-sex relationships are not as valid as heterosexual ones
  • Legal rights are still not exactly the same as those conferred by marriage
  • There would be international recognition for same-sex marriage
• Positions of other churches and religions on same-sex marriage

  • Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales opposes it
  • Muslim Council of Great Britain opposes it
  • United Synagogue (Jewish) opposes it
  • Liberal and Reform Synagogues (Jewish) support it
  • Quakers support and allow same-sex marriages