Rs = ethics - relationships

• Adultery


  Voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not their spouse
• Divorce


  To legally end a marriage
• Cohabitation


  Living together in a sexual relationship without being married or in a civil partnership
• Commitment


  Dedication and obligation to someone or something
• Contraception


  The deliberate use of artificial methods to prevent pregnancy
• Gender Equality


  Equal rights between the genders
• Responsibilities


  Obligations we must carry out
• Roles


  Position, status or function of a person in society, as well as the characteristics and social behaviour expected of them
• Some religions believe that the teachings in sacred texts, such as the Bible, need to be adapted or changed because of changing views in society
• Secular


  Not belonging to or associated with religion
• Atheist


  Believing that there is no God
• Agnostic


  Unsure if there is a God
• Humanist


  Believing that we need to live an ethical existence for humanity alone
• Pluralism


  The existence of many different religious groups within society
• Family


  The foundation for all human activity, where human relationships begin and develop, where the norms and values of society are lived out and practiced, and where new generations are brought up into adulthood
• Types of Family


  • Nuclear
  • Single Parent Family
  • Extended Family
  • Reconstituted Family
  • Childless Family
• Traditionally in Christianity, the man was responsible for providing for the family through work and the mother was traditionally responsible for domestic life
• Women and men are now seen as in a partnership in family life, with shared responsibilities
• Religious belief is taught and learned in the home. Religious beliefs, practices and teachings are lived out in the home and young children learn by example
• It is a religious duty for parents to bring children up in faith and teach the values of the religion
• Many people today, e.g. Humanists, think that children should make up their own ideas about religion or that parents should not share their religious beliefs and faith with their children
• Everyone in the Christian faith is regarded as part of the worldwide family
• Commitment


  A sense of dedication and obligation to someone or something
• Humanists view marriage as a significant part of human life and understand why a couple may want to show their commitment
• What Christians regard marriage as


  • God-given
  • The best basis for creating an environment into which children should be born
  • A lifelong commitment
• For Christians, marriage is a gift given to humanity by God, a Sacrament, and 'ordained by God'
• Jesus: '"At the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wide, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh."'
• The marriage service says, 'what man has joined together, let no man put asunder,' meaning that marriage should be a lifelong union
• Christians believe that marriage is a gift from God and traditionally Christian marriage ceremonies have taken place in a chapel or a church to reflect this belief
• What a typical Church of England wedding ceremony includes


  • The vicar welcomes everyone
  • The vicar gives a short sermon on the nature and purpose of marriage
  • An exchange of vows
• The legal requirement in Britain is for the newly married couple to sign the register, witnessed by a registrar and witnesses, which makes the marriage ceremony legal
• In an Anglican church the couple always marry in front of the altar
• In a pluralist (multi-faith) society, inter-faith marriage – where two people of different faiths marry – is an issue that religions must respond to
• Interfaith marriage


  Marriage where two people of different faiths marry
• Orthodox tradition


  Marriage can only take place if the Christians have been baptised
• RC tradition


  The partner who is not Catholic must agree to any children of the marriage being allowed to follow the Catholic faith
• Civil ceremony


  Can happen with a religious blessing where there is an issue about a couple marrying in a place of worship
• Issues faced by inter-faith marriage


  • Following religious dietary rules in the home (e.g. if one partner follows kosher laws)
  • Different expectations about gender roles
  • Religious communities might refuse to accept the inter-faith marriage
  • Different beliefs about moral issues, e.g. the use of contraception
  • Children might be told different things about death and the afterlife
  • Parents might be torn between religions that children are raised in
  • Families might want to celebrate different religious festivals
• Cohabitation


  To live together in a sexual relationship, without being married or in a civil partnership
• Cohabiting families are the fastest growing family type