theme a

Heterosexual relationship definition

Relationship between people of opposite genders

Homosexual relationship definition

Relationship between people of the same gender

traditional christian beliefs on homosexual relationships - AGAINST

• St Paul stated in the New Testament that homosexual relationships were sexually immoral

• Catholic Church teaches that homosexuality is not a sin, but homosexual acts are against natural law, meaning homosexual people must remain celibate

• many Christian denominations don’t recognise homosexual marriages

  • this means sexual intercourse that occurs within these relationships is deemed as ‘sex before marriage’

  • which is viewed as an abuse of the God-given gift of sexuality

    • St Paul stated Christians should respect their body - Galatians 3:28

traditional christian beliefs on homosexual relationships - FOR

• Anglican Church accepts homosexuals living in committed relationships

• Quakers fully accept homosexual relationships

• Methodist Church performs same-sex marriage ceremonies

traditional muslim beliefs on homosexual relationships - AGAINST

• Islam teaches that heterosexual relationships are the normal pattern of behaviour for humans

• it’s believed that the only acceptable form of sexual relationship in Islam is within marriage between husband and wife

Homosexual marriage - 12 marker - for

• Equality act of 2010 - heterosexual and homosexual relationships are equal and sexuality and marital status are protected characteristics

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

Homosexual marriage - 12 marker - against

• God told Christians to “be fruitful and multiply” - homosexual relationships can’t procreate

• God said that marriage should be between a man and a woman - “you shall not be with a man as one does with a woman”

traditional christian views on sex before marriage - AGAINST

• Catholic and Anglican churches teach that sex before marriage is morally wrong

  • influenced by the belief people must remain chaste before marriage

• Christians are taught that sex should be not treated casually, as this devalues the God-given gift of sexuality

• St Paul taught Christians that they should respect their bodies as a gift from God and use this gift responsibly

liberal christian views on sex before marriage - FOR

• some liberal Christians think that sex before marriage can be a valid expression of love

• this relies on the fact that the couple are fully committed to each other for life or intend to get married

traditional muslim views on sex before marriage - AGAINST

• Muslims believe that sex is a gift from God that must be expressed only in marriage

• the Qur’an forbids sex before marriage

• in Islamic law (Shari’ah) sex before marriage is considered a serious sin and a sexual offence (zinah)

christians views on sex outside of marriage

• sex outside of marriage is seen as adultery

• Christians view adultery as wrong as it is forbidden in the Ten Commandments

• this influenced by the belief that marriage is sacred and adultery breaks the marital vows partners have made to each other before God

christian views on contraception - against

• all Christians view children as a gift from God and a blessing on a marriage

• Catholic Church teaches that every sexual act must be open to the possibility of procreation

  • influenced by the belief that the purpose of sex is to show love and to procreate

  • thus artificial methods of contraception go against natural law and the purpose of marriage

• Christians that believe that life starts from the moment of conception are against all forms of contraception

  • influenced by a belief that contraception is murder, which would go against the Ten Commandments

christian views on contraception - for

• all Christians view family planning as responsible

• Church of England approves the use of artificial contraception

• as it allows for Christians to responsibly family plan

islam views on contraception - for

• many Muslims believe that all forms on contraception can be used to responsibly family plan

• but they must not be used to prevent having children altogether

• contraception is also viewed as acceptable as it can avoid financial difficulty and can protect a mother’s health

islam views on contraception - against

• artificial contraception goes against al-qadr

• influenced by belief that God gives Muslims strength to cope with children

• permanent forms of contraception, such as sterilisation, are not permitted

Contraception - 12 marker - for

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

• Protects people from STDs, “love thy neighbour”

Contraception - 12 marker - against

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

Purpose of marriage - procreation

God told Christians to “be fruitful and multiply” - why some Christians remain celibate until married

Purpose of marriage - love

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

cohabitation - christian - for

• Church of England acknowledges that marriage is the best place for sexual relationships

• people may cohabit in a loving, faithful and committed way

cohabitation - christian - against

• Catholic and Orthodox churches are against cohabitation

• influenced by the belief that the only valid place for sexual relationships is within marriage

  • “every sexual act must take place within the framework of marriage” - Pope Pius

Grounds for divorce

• Adultery (doesn’t apply to homosexual marriage)

• Unreasonable behaviour

• Desertion

• 2 years separation with consent

• 5 years separation without consent

Protestant belief on divorce

Protestant believe that Christians should aspire to remain faithful to their marriage and their partner permanently, but allow divorce in certain situations

Protestant belief on remarrying

Protestant Churches allow remarriage

Catholic belief on divorce

• Catholic Church is against divorce as they believe marriage is a sacrament - “what God has joined together let no one separate”

• Catholic Church allows annulment instead

Catholic belief on remarrying

• Catholic Church believes that a person cannot get remarried whilst their partner is still alive

• however, Catholic Church believes that person can get an annulment and then remarry

• influenced by the belief that the previous marriage was never ‘true’

ethical arguments FOR divorce

reasons for divorce:

• adultery

• domestic abuse

• addiction

• illness/disability

• work/financial pressures

• inability to have children

• falling out of love

thus allowing for divorce is compassionate towards the partners as it is preventing further emotional or physiological harm in the future

divorce - 12 marker - for

• allowing divorce of marriages is compassionate towards the partners as it prevents further emotional or physiological harm - “love thy neighbour”, Protestant churches allow for divorce in certain contexts

• in Britain, you can legally get divorced after one year - 42% of marriages in England Wales legally ended in divorce (2012)

divorce - 12 marker - against

• Catholic Church views marriage as the permanent union between a man and a woman in God’s presence - SACRAMENT

  • divorce breaks the couple’s promise of unity to God and goes against God’s plans for the couple

  • seen as a sin, resulting in Hell or Purgatory instead of Heaven

• Jesus taught that divorce was adultery, Mark 10:11-12

family definition

• group of people

• who are related

• by blood, marriage or adoption

nuclear family definition

• consists of

• a couple

• and their children

single parent family definition

• one parent

• with their own children

• as a result of

• death, divorce or the ending of the parents’ relationship

stepfamily definition

• family formed on

• the marriage of a divorced or widowed person

• that includes a child/children

extended family definition

• where other relatives

• live within the family

christian beliefs about role of parents in a family

• to teach children love

• to teach children key Christian traditions, values and teachings

• respect their children with human dignity

christian beliefs about role of children in a family

honour and respect their parents

christian beliefs about nature of extended family

• extended families make it easy for Christians to look after both their older and younger generations

• the older generations passes on traditions and values to the younger generation

christian beliefs about nature of nuclear family

• parents in a nuclear family are supposed to care for and look after their children

• parents are also supposed to bring up their children in the Christian faith

christian beliefs about the purpose of families

• procreation

• stability

• protection of children

• educating children in Christianity

christian views on same sex parents - for

some Christians believe that the gender of a child’s parents doesn’t matter, as long as the parents provide a secure and loving environment

christian views on same sex parents - against

• some traditional Christians disapprove of same sex parents

• this is influenced by the belief that children should grow up with both a male and female role model

same sex parents - 12 marker - for

• same sex parents can still have children through methods such as IVF or surrogacy, fulfils the Christian beliefs on the purpose of marriage (procreation and love)

• same sex parents can provide a loving, secure environment for any children concerned, fulfilling the Christian purpose of parents within a family

same sex parents - 12 marker - against

• traditional Christians believe that children should be brought up with male and female role models, same sex parents go against this

• same sex parents cannot procreate naturally, going against God’s wishes of families and marriages being used for procreation

christian views on polygamy - against

• polygamy is not part of Christian teachings

• Christians believe that the foundation of a family is a marriage between a man and a woman

• bigamy is illegal in the UK, thus meaning Christians cannot subscribe to polygamy in this country

non-religious views on polygamy - for

• polygamous relationships/marriages are recognised in some other states

• as long as all people involved consent, then the relationship is ethical

non-religious views on polygamy - against

• could cause jealousy in partners

• concerns about legal rights of the people concerned if the marriage isn’t legally bound

polygamy - 12 marker - for

• people practicing polygamy is witnessed in the Bible, could be viewed as sacred as it is portrayed within Christianity’s sacred text

• polygamous relationships are legally recognised in other states

polygamy - 12 marker - against

• could cause jealousy between partners - creates emotional turmoil “stop doing anything to hurt others” (1 Peter 2)

• Christianity teaches that having a relationship with more than one person is seen as adultery

traditional non-religious views on roles of men

• men hold greater power than women in society

• men are to support their wives in child upbringing, through earning money for the household

traditional non-religious views on roles of women

• bring new life into the world

• baby’s main carer

• largely domestic traditional role

traditional christian views on the role of men and women

• men are the head of the family

• women must stay home and care for the children

catholic/orthodox views on the role of women within the church

• women aren’t allowed to be priests within these denominations

• influenced by interpretations of the Bible, fuelled by the fact that all 12 of Jesus’ apostles were men

protestant views on the role of women within the church

• believe that women should be able to hold the same roles within the church as men

• influenced by interpretations of the Bible, as it was shown that Jesus welcomed female followers and Jesus appeared to women first after his resurrection

gender equality law that made gender discrimination illegal

Sex Discrimination Act (1975)

gender equality in christianity - for

• Genesis states that God created both men and women “in his image”

• Jesus respected women and welcomed them as his disciples, evidenced by story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10)

• Jesus appeared to women first after his resurrection

• Jesus commanded that “love thy neighbour” applied to all humans, including women

• St Paul taught that everyone was equal in the eyes of God (Galatians 3:28)

gender equality in christianity - against

• St Paul taught that women should remain silent in church and should be submissive to their husbands

• in Genesis, God punishes Eve for being disobedient to Adam