Marriage

• Monogamous


  'One flesh' (Genesis)
• Lifelong


  'Until death do us part' (Vows)
• Purpose of marriage


  • To become one flesh and have a lifelong, monogamous relationship (they become one flesh' - Genesis)
  • To have a committed and loving sexual relationship (it is better to marry than to burn with passion' - St Paul)
  • To procreate and start a family ('be fruitful and multiply' - Genesis)
  • To fulfil the sacraments (marriage is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. It is a sacred covenant involving God. 'God himself is the author of marriage' - Catechism)
• St Paul: ''it is better to marry than to burn with passion''
• Islamic beliefs

  NATURE OF MARRIAGE

  MONOGAMOUS OR POLYGAMOUS

  LIFELONG - Although divorce is permissible.

  PURPOSE OF MARRIAGE

  To support one another in a lifelong, loving relationship ('They become like garments for one another' - Surah 2)

  •

  To fulfil a religious responsibility ('Marry those among you who are single' - Surah 24)

  To procreate and start a family (Seen as a duty; reproduction is a gift from God).

  To provide stability to society ('The only way to protect all people is to maintain a society where only a man and his wife share the act of sex' - Abdul Wahid Hamid).
• Genesis: ''they become one flesh''
• Genesis: ''be fruitful and multiply''
• Catechism: ''God himself is the author of marriage''
• Cohabitation


  Living together without being married
• Same-sex marriage


  Two people of the same gender being married
• Conservative/Traditionalist Christians


  • May see cohabitation and same-sex marriage as wrong because it could lead to sex before marriage, which is seen as sinful - 'flee from sexual immorality' (St Paul)
• Liberal Christians


  • May see no problem with cohabitation and same-sex marriage as 'it is the nature and quality of the relationship that matters' (Quakers). No obligation to be married in order to have loving, committed relationship
• Situation Ethics


  'the morality of an action is dependent on the circumstances' (Fletcher)
• Catholic and Church of England


  • Oppose cohabitation and same-sex marriage because marriage is a sacred covenant involving one man and one woman. Leads to same-sex acts, which are sinful
• Quakers and Methodists


  • Allow same-sex marriage as it is about love, not your gender