sexual+same sex

• TEATED


  EXAM READY
• Personal and family issues


  • Sexual relationships
• Christian views on the meaning and purpose of sexual relationships


  • Sex should be part of a life-long relationship
  • Sex should only take place between a man and a woman who are married to each other
  • Sex is a relationship blessed by God and given to humans as a gift to strengthen the bond of marriage
• The Bible teaches that sex should only take place within marriage 'that is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife, and they become one' (Genesis 2:24)
• Having sex when not in a committed relationship


  Can lead to people becoming emotionally hurt, especially when the relationship ends
• A relationship should not be based entirely on eros love, or sexual attraction
• Avoiding sex before marriage


  Can prevent the problem of an unwanted pregnancy outside marriage and can lessen the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection
• Christians believe that one of the main purposes of marriage is to have children and to keep the love between a couple strong
• Different opinions within Christianity


  • Some Christians are prepared to accept pre-marital sex as part of a loving relationship if the couple are committed to each other and plan to marry
  • Some Christians also accept that sex can be part of a committed same-sex relationship
• Church teaching on sexual relationships


  • The Presbyterian Church
  • The Church of Ireland
  • The Roman Catholic Church
• The Presbyterian Church: 'Ideally God meant sex to be enjoyed in the context of the full commitment of marriage. It is the physical expression of the deeper reality of the two becoming one.'
• The Church of Ireland: 'Human sexuality is a wonderful gift from God... we would urge that young people would question any behaviour that devalues this gift or which hinders its fulfilment within the context of marriage.'
• The Roman Catholic Church: 'Experience teaches us that love must find its safeguard in the stability of marriage, if sexual intercourse is truly to respond to the requirements... of human dignity.'
• Celibacy


  Remaining unmarried and without sexual relations for religious reasons
• Virgin


  Someone who has never had sexual relations
• Vocation


  The Christian belief that God calls people to a certain job
• Chastity


  To abstain from sexual relations
• Reasons for choosing celibacy


  • Religious reasons
  • Social reasons
• Some Churches, such as the Roman Catholic Church, make celibacy a requirement of being a priest or a member of a religious order
• Celibacy is a permanent life-long choice to be a virgin
• Some Christians may choose celibacy temporarily, believing that sex should be kept for marriage
• Some Christians who are homosexual may feel that celibacy is the only option for them
• Some people choose celibacy as a sensible lifestyle choice to avoid the risks of casual sex, unplanned pregnancy or STIs
• Some people choose celibacy after a divorce or death of a partner, feeling they are no longer interested in finding a new partner
• Some people choose celibacy due to a bad experience in a sexual relationship or getting over a separated partner
• Many people, including some within the Roman Catholic Church, feel the idea of celibacy is now outdated and priests should be free to marry and have a family
• The official position of the Roman Catholic Church is that celibacy among priests must remain, as it 'enables them to give themselves to God alone with an undivided heart'
• Homosexuality


  Attraction to people of the same sex
• Lesbian


  A female who is sexually attracted to someone of the same sex
• Heterosexual


  A person who is sexually attracted to someone of the opposite sex
• Same-sex marriage became legal in England and Wales in March 2014, and in Northern Ireland on 13 January 2020
• The Old Testament condemns homosexual acts, while the New Testament is less explicit, with Jesus not directly commenting on it and St Paul condemning homosexual relationships
• Some Christians do not accept same-sex marriage, arguing that God intended marriage to be between a heterosexual man and woman
• Some Christians argue the Church should accept same-sex couples in serious, committed relationships