christianity relationships

• The family is the original cell of social life
• Nuclear family


  A family unit consisting of two adults and any number of children living together. The children might be biological, step or adopted.
• Christians see God as the Father, creator, and sustainer of all living things, and this is evidence that family relationships reflect God's parental care for all humanity and the family unit is important for society, as well as the Christian faith
• The Ten Commandments instruct Christians to appreciate and respect their parents: "Honour your father and your mother."
• The three main purposes of the Christian family

  • To provide a secure environment for family through marriage
  • To procreate
  • To raise children in the Christian faith
• Marriage


  A commitment for couples to love and support each other and share in the care and upbringing of children
• In Genesis, God tells a man to be with his wife and as a couple to have children: "Be fruitful and multiply."
• Verses such as: "Start children off on the way they should go," (Proverbs 22:6) encourage Christians to bring their children up in their faith
• Sacrament


  Rituals that teach, strengthen and express faith. They are relevant to all areas and stages of life, and Roman Catholics believe that the love and gifts of God are given through seven sacraments.
• Christian denominations


  • Roman Catholic
  • Orthodox
  • Church of England
  • Methodist
  • Pentecostal
  • Quaker
• Covenant


  An agreement or promise
• Sanctity


  The quality of being holy or sacred
• Dists and Pentecostals


  Allow the couple to fully plan their own wedding ceremony, but this can follow traditional practices if that is what the couple want
• Quaker wedding ceremony


  Often a quiet, almost silent service where the congregation will sit in silence until someone is moved to speak and the couple will say their vows at the point they wish to say them. A registrar will be present to ensure it is a legal ceremony.
• Marriage in Christianity


  A gift from God and a covenant close between God and the couple. The married couple's love for each other reflects the sacred love Christ has for the Church.
• Different understandings around the sanctity and purpose of marriage within Christian denominations

  • Many Christians believe the main purpose is to honour God by following His command to leave parents and become husband and wife
  • Many Christians interpret "be fruitful and multiply" to mean a couple should have children, which are seen as a gift from God
  • For many Roman Catholics, marriage is a sacrament that is a public sign of an individual giving themselves totally to another person with God at the centre
• Polygamy is illegal in the UK. Whilst not commonly accepted within Christianity, some denominations such as Lutheran Christians or The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints allow polygamy to take place, however, this is not widely practiced.
• How various Christian denominations view divorce

  • Catholic Church does not recognise civil divorce and teaches the marriage continues in the eyes of God
  • Most Protestant Churches teach divorce is not desirable but accept it can happen when all other attempts to save the marriage have failed
  • Anglican Church does not advocate divorce but allows it if the marriage has truly broken down and cannot be repaired
  • Some denominations like Methodist and United Reformed accept divorce and remarriage as part of Christian teachings of forgiveness
• All Christian denominations allow widows and widowers to remarry as their first marriage has ended in death
• The legal changing of the definition of marriage in the UK to include same-sex couples


  Has caused debate in many Christian organisations and communities
• Christian views on same-sex marriage

  • Some Christians use Bible and Church traditions to argue against same-sex marriage
  • Some Christians argue monogamous homosexual relationships can have the same values as Christian marriage and it is not right to deny these couples marriage
  • Some denominations like Quakers and United Reformed Church have conducted same-sex weddings
• Wandsworth Quaker Preparatory Meeting, 1989: 'We affirm the love of God for all people, whatever their sexual orientation'
• Sex before marriage


  Devalues God-given sexuality
• 1 Corinthians 7:9: 'But if they can't control themselves, they should get married, because it's better to marry than to burn with passion'
• Catholic Church teaching on sex


  Sex should only take place within marriage
• Some Christians will choose chastity (refraining from all sexual intercourse) before marriage
• Hebrews 13:4: 'Marriage should be honoured by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral'
• Cohabitation


  Acceptable where there is faithfulness, loyalty and commitment within a long-term relationship
• Pope Francis in The Joy of Love (2016): 'In such cases, respect can also be shown for those signs of love, which in some way, reflect God's own love'
• Adultery is prohibited in Christianity as one of the Ten Commandments
• Faithfulness within marriage is important to Christians
• Proverbs 6:32: 'But a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so, destroys himself'
• Christianity's teaching on children

  Children are a gift from God
• Some Christians accept there can be psychological, economic, environmental or medical factors that can impact whether a child should be born and debate whether the use of contraception to prevent pregnancy is acceptable
• Catholic Church's teaching on contraception

  No artificial contraception is permitted, as it goes against the teaching to "Be fruitful and multiply"
• Aquinas' Natural Moral Law theory states that it is an important responsibility for humans to reproduce
• Buddhism does not expect marriage and children, and some Buddhists believe celibacy is something to aim for
• Christianity teaches that sex should only happen between people who are married
• The Catholic Church teaches that if a married couple wants to avoid pregnancy temporarily, they should use natural family planning methods rather than contraception, except if pregnancy would put the woman's health in danger
• Sustain


  To support and help to flourish