theme a quotes

Christians choosing to marry for love

• “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God”

• “it is better to marry than to burn with passion” (1 Corinthians)

Purpose of marriage - commitment

• “Thou shalt not commit adultery”

• “what God has joined together let no one separate”

Sexual relationships before marriage - against

• “Every sexual act must be within the framework of marriage” - Pope Pius

• “the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19)

Sexual relationships before marriage - for

“Test whether the milk is good before you buy the cow” - Archbishop John Sentamu

sexual relationships outside of marriage - against

• “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14)

• “anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery” (Matthew 5:27-28)

cohabitation - against

“the sexual act must take place exclusively within marriage” (Catholic Catechism)

homosexual relationships - christianity - against

• “do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, that is detestable” (Leviticus 18:22)

• “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered and contrary to the Natural Law” (Catholic Catechism)

• “being a homosexual person is neither morally good nor morally bad: it is homosexual acts that are morally wrong” (Catholic Church)

homosexual relationships - islam - against

“must you […] lust after males and abandon the wives that God has created for you? You are exceeding all bounds” (Qur’an 26:165-6)

homosexual relationships - christianity - for

“to reject people on the grounds of their sexual behaviour is a denial of God’s creation” (Quakers)

Contraception - christian - against artificial methods

• “to render procreation impossible is intrinsically evil” - Catechism of Catholic Church 2370

• “every sexual act should have the possibility of creating new human life” (Humanae Vitae, 1968)

Contraception - christian - for all contraception methods

• “contraception is seen as a gift from medical science under God’s sovereignty” - Baptist Church

• “Provided it (contraception) is done in the light of Christian principles” (Lambeth conference, 1930)

contraception - islam - for all contraception methods

“God wishes to lighten your burden; man was created weak” (Qur’an 4:28)

contraception - islam - against artificial contraception methods

“Do not kill your children for fear of poverty […] killing them is a great sin” (Qur’an 17:31)

Homosexual marriage - against

• "go forth and multiply” (Genesis 1:28)

• “a man shall […] to his wife […] become one flesh”

Homosexual marriage - for

“The Church should fully accept homosexual relationships” - Anglican Church

Christian teachings about marriage

“a man shall leave his father and mother and unite with his wife and the two shall become one”

divorce - for

“If a man divorces his wife for any cause other than unchastity, he involves her in his adultery” (Matthew 5:32)

divorce/remarriage - against

• “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her” (Mark 10:11-12)

• “what God has joined together, let no man separate” (Mark 10:9)

• “The marriage bond has been made by God […] it can never be dissolved” (Catholic Catechism)

nature of families

“anyone who does not provide for their relatives […] has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8)

purpose of families

“the family remains the most important grouping human beings have ever developed” (Church of England)

relationships in Christian families

• “children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord” (Colossians 3:20-21)

• “Fathers, do not embitter your children” (Colossians 3:20-21)

• “Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old” (Proverbs 23:22)

polygamy - against

• “stop doing anything to hurt others” (1 Peter 2:1-15)

• “avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband” (1 Corinthians 7:2)

traditional christian beliefs about role of men and women

“it is not good for man to be alone; I will make a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18)

gender equality - against

“your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (Genesis 3:16)

gender equality - for

“there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 3:28)