Marriage and the family

• Annulment


  Declaration that a marriage is null and void in effect, as if it had never happened, for reasons such as being under age or being forced to marry
• Divorce


  The legal ending of a marriage
• Faithfulness


  Not having a sexual relationship with anyone other than a partner
• Marriage


  The legal union of a man and a woman or a same sex couple
• In this country, marriage is a public, legal commitment between two people. It is usually out of love but in some cultures where arranged marriages are common, love grows with time
• How a marriage can be ended


  • Death: the end of life
  • Divorce: the legal ending of a marriage
  • Annulment: uncommon, but it states the marriage was never real in the first place. It voids the marriage
• The Purpose of Marriage for Christians

  • Provides companionship and support between husband and wife
  • Allows a sexual relationship to take place, and a family to be raised
  • Creates a stable society with good moral and social behaviour, as marriage is a lifelong commitment
• Jesus taught: 'God intended from Creation that men and women should marry'
• Marriage becomes the most important adult relationship that the partners have
• Marriage creates a union of flesh and emotions
• The couple is joined by God that others should also respect
• The Bible teaches that there is an order within marriage. "Wives, submit and honour him." "Husbands, love your wives." (Ephesians 5: 22-25)
• Atheist


  Someone who does not believe in the existence of God
• Cohabitation


  Living together as a married couple but without legalising the union through marriage
• Humanist


  A non-religious person who looks to reason and empathy in order to live a meaningful life
• Attitudes FOR Marriage


  • Publicly shows commitment to the relationship
  • Ceremonies allow formal commitment without involving religion
  • Provides stability for children growing up
• Attitudes AGAINST Marriage


  • Marriage is unnecessary for being in a loving long-term relationship
  • Humanist ceremonies allow commitment ceremony without being a legal burden
  • Nearly half of marriages end in divorce
• Cohabitation before marriage has been very popular in the past few decades. About half of all couples choose to cohabit and some couples may never choose to marry
• Reasons why some people are in favour of cohabitation

  • You get to know each other the good and the bad habits
  • There is no legal consequence of divorce if you choose to separate
  • Often can still have a stable home
  • You can still be just as committed to a person without marriage
  • It saves money
• Reasons why some people are against cohabitation

  • It can encourage a casual attitude towards relationships so the commitment may not be as strong
  • It's too easy to separate so the couple may not persevere during tough times
  • Some argue marriage creates a more stable home for children
• The Bible encourages marriage
• Divorce


  The legal dissolution of a marriage
• Why is there a divide in opinion in Christianity over divorce?

  Jesus taught that divorce is wrong, but the Protestant view allows divorce in certain circumstances
• Jesus' teaching on divorce in the Gospels

  • Matthew's Gospel: "Anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery"
  • Mark's Gospel: "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her"
• Christian teachings against divorce

  • Marriage is a promise to God, only God can end it by death
  • Remarriage after legal divorce is not allowed in some Christian churches, as it is seen as adultery
• The Protestant view on divorce

  • Divorce is allowed on the grounds that human beings make mistakes and relationships break down
  • God forgives mistakes
  • After asking for God's forgiveness, Christians may remarry within the Church
• Non-religious attitude to divorce


  • Divorce is a legal issue, not a religious issue, so it is widely accepted
  • Divorce should be allowed if the marriage has failed, and should be fair in terms of money and access to children
  • Remarriage should be allowed after divorce
• Situation ethics view on divorce

  • The right thing depends on the most loving thing to do. If divorce is the most loving action (for the people, for the children), it is accepted
• Annulment

  A declaration by the Catholic Church that a marriage was invalid from the beginning
• Grounds for annulment in the Catholic Church

  • The marriage was forced upon someone
  • A person was suffering from a mental illness which meant they did not understand the vows they were making
  • The marriage has not been consummated
• Reasons some Christians are against homosexuality

  • Leviticus teaches that homosexuality is despicable
  • Catholics believe sex should be open to creating babies, which same-sex relationships cannot do
  • Sex should only take place within a Godly marriage, which is only between a man and woman
• Reasons some Christians support homosexuality

  • The Bible reflects the time it was written in, not God's will, so should be updated
  • Leviticus could have been incorrectly translated from Hebrew - it should have said 'boy' instead of 'man'
  • God created people, so chose their sexuality
• Non-religious viewpoints on homosexuality

  • Humanists, alongside atheists, believe there is no problem with same-sex relationships as long as sex is consensual, legal, and not against anyone's human rights
  • Homosexuality has been shown to have a biological basis, it is not a choice
  • Homosexuality is seen in the animal kingdom, suggesting it is natural
  • It follows the UK law supporting the rights of same-sex relationships
• Christian responses to non-religious viewpoints on homosexuality


  • Strict Christians have condemned the non-religious attitude, stating that same-sex relationships are a sin
  • Same-sex marriages are banned in strict Christian churches
  • Some Protestant churches welcome homosexual followers, but the same-sex relationship is not seen as being equal to Christian marriage
• Sex Outside of Marriage


  • Fornication
  • Sex before marriage
  • Cheating
  • Casual sexual relationships
  • Adultery
  • Promiscuity
• Most Christians believe sex should only take place within a marriage because

  • Sex is the highest expression of love between a couple, which involves giving oneself completely to the other person in a life-long commitment
  • Sexual union is meant to be the consummation, the completion of a loving relationship, not the start
• The Bible has teachings about sexual relationships which stress the importance of marriage-"The wife's body does not belong to her alone, but also to her husband"
• Adultery goes against the Ten Commandments
• Ways sex outside of marriage can take place

  • Premarital sex
  • Cheating
• Some liberal Christians believe that sex before marriage is acceptable as long as the couple

  • Are in love with each other
  • Are in a long term relationship
  • Have the intention of getting married