Theology GCSE - Theme A: Relationships and Families

Human sexuality:

How people express themselves as sexual beings

A heterosexual person is more commonly known as ?.

Straight

A homosexual person is more commonly known as ?.

Gay

For Christians, heterosexual relationships are ?.

Part of God's plan

Since sexuality is such a powerful human force that it can result in a new life, the Christian Church teaches that the only valid place for a sexual relationship is ?.

Within marriage

In Britain, homosexual relationships ? legal.

Are

The Catholic Church teaches that homosexual people ? sinful because of their homosexuality. It teaches that homosexual people should ? to ?.

Are not remain chaste avoid sinful acts

Arguments for homosexual relationships:

• Humans are made imago dei and so should be treated with love and respect, even if they are gay. / The Sanctity of Life Principle: All life is a precious gift from God.

•Quakers: “Where there is a genuine tenderness, an openness to responsibility, and the seed of commitment, God is surely not shut out…to reject people on the grounds of their sexual behaviour is a denial of God’s creation.” (Towards a Quaker View of Sex)

Arguments against homosexual relationships/for heterosexual ones:

• God created Adam and Eve to be in companionship à God approves of heterosexual relationships. “It is not right for man to be alone.” (Genesis)

• 3 purposes of sex are Marital, Unitive & Procreative. According to the Catholic Church all sexual acts should fulfil the purposes of sex and should reflect God’s love for humanity. A gay couple cannot have a child (procreative purpose) and so should not have sex.

• The book of Leviticus condemns homosexuality: 'If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.'

Roman Catholic view on homosexuality:

Homosexual feelings are acceptable but you cannot act on them. Homosexual people are to remain celibate. Homosexual sex does not allow for procreation. "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination." (Leviticus). Homosexual desires are not in themselves sinful. A gay couple cannot get married.

Anglican view on homosexuality:

Marriage can only be between man and woman. Liberal Christians are not opposed to homosexual relationships because they believe that they are harmless and love is the most important thing.

Quaker view on homosexuality:

Accept homosexuality and have been fighting for marriage equality since 2009. In 1963 Quaker documents: "It is the nature and quality of a relationship that matters...the same criteria seemed to us to apply whether a relationship is heterosexual or homosexual."

Islamic view on homosexuality:

Homosexual relationships are forbidden. Sex should only be between husband and wife. Sometimes punishable by death. Goes against the will of Allah.

Jewish view on homosexuality:

Prohibitions against homosexuality based on Biblical texts (e.g. "detestable"). In the past was punishable by death. Orthodox Jews see it as sinful, reformed Jews are more relaxed and focus more on love. Does not fulfil the request from God to be "fruitful and multiply".

Promiscuity:

Having sex with a number of different partners without wanting to have a relationship with them.

Catholics believe that sex is a ?.

Gift from God.

Catholics believe that promiscuity ?.

Devalues both people and sex

Catholics believe pre-marital sex is wrong because:

1. The purpose of sex is procreation and so must take place within marriage, where there is a proper environment for raising children.

2. The Bible says sex before marriage and promiscuity are against the God’s plan.

3. Pre-marital sex can lead to unfaithfulness in marriage.

What are the Catholic Purposes of Sex?

MARITAL - it can only take place within marriage, for example, when a marriage is consummated
UNITIVE - it is meant to cement the bond between husband and wife so that they can become spiritually closer together, deepening their love for each other
PROCREATIVE - it must be open to the possibility of having children

The Catholic Church teaches that as sex is ?, it should be an ?act, shared only with ?.

The total commitment of a man to a woman exclusive the person you have pledged to spend your life with

Sex is the final step in joining the husband and wife in a lasting bond. The Catholic Church believes that having sex before marriage ? it. But when a husband and wife both know that they have reserved the gift of their virginity so that they can offer it to each other in marriage, they both feel ?. There is also another benefit of preserving virginity until marriage: ?.

Trivialises special, privileged and loved if neither person has had sex with anyone else, there is no chance of them passing on sexually transmitted diseases

Other Christian denominations generally share the Catholic Church's view that sex should be saved until marriage. However, many people in British society (including many ?) do have sex before marriage. Many people wait to ? before having sex. Others think casual sex is fine, providing it doesn't cause any emotional harm. The use of contraception has allowed sex before marriage and casual sex to become more common; its use and how it affects people's approaches to sex is one of the main differences between Catholics and non-Catholics regarding this topic.

Christians find someone they love

Name a non-Christian religion and explain its views on sex before marriage.

Buddhism: Buddhism does not have marriage as a rite of passage - marriages are culturally based events. So sex before marriage - as long as it is within the context of a loving relationship is acceptable.

Name a non-Catholic Christian denomination and explain its views on sex before marriage.

The Quakers: The Quakers are a Christian group who take a more liberal view towards sex before marriage. They accept that a couple can be in a sexual relationship as long as the relationship is faithful, non-exploitative and loving. They do not need to be married.

Many non-Christians, as well as Christians, believe that adultery is wrong. This is because it involves ?. As well as this, it can ? and cause ?.

Secrecy, lies and a betrayal of trust affect children pain to all concerned

Not only is it specified in the 10 Commandments: 'Do not commit adultery', Christians see adultery as wrong because ?

It breaks the promises Christian couples make before God during their wedding, to forsake all others and be faithful to each other as long as they both shall live. It threatens the stable relationship needed between parents for their children's security.

Some people would argue that adultery could be forgiven in some circumstances: for examples, ?

In a very unhappy marriage where it seems to be the only way to change or improve the situation. Some might argue that personal happiness is important, even if seeking it inadvertently causes harm to someone else.

Many Christians would argue that whilst adultery is sinful, it is still forgivable. This is because ?

Jesus forgave a woman who was caught in adultery, but ordered her to 'go now and leave your life of sin.' (John 8:1-11).

Contraception:

The methods used to prevent a pregnancy from taking place

Family planning:

Controlling how many children couples have and when they have them

Methods of contraception include:

The pill, the condom, the femidom, the coil, spermicidal jellies and sterilisation.

In modern Britain there is widespread ? of the use of contraception in family planning. Many people think it is more responsible to prevent unwanted pregnancies, both from a personal point of view and also because of concerns about global over-population. Many religious people think that using some forms of contraception for the right reasons within marriage ? acceptable.

Acceptance is

All Christian churches agree that ? is God's greatest gift to a married couple. Christian couples are called by God to be responsible parents, fully committed to their children's nurture and guidance. It is God's will that children are ?, but all Christian churches accept that there are some situations when it may be acceptable to avoid bringing children into the world. The reasons may be economic, environmental, physical or psychological. However, Christian churches do not all agree on the methods couples should use to limit their families or to time the births of their children.

Having children born within marriage

The Catholic and ? Churches teach that artificial contraception ? (the moral principles that are part of human nature). God's purpose for marriage is to have a family. The Catholic Church believes that ? and that ?.

Orthodox goes against natural law sex is for making new life as well as expressing love these two purposes should not be separated

The Catholic Church teaches that using artificial contraception is sinful because the couple are ?. Its use could encourage selfishness or infidelity. The Catholic Church ? against family planning, but thinks that parents should use ? to space the births of their children. Many people disagree with this teaching because they think ? and they see no reason not to use methods developed by medical science, as long as these do not cause an abortion. Furthermore, the population explosion and spread of AIDS present new challenges to this teaching. Many other Christians, as well as Muslims and Jews, will naturally want to have a family, but they do not want every sexual act to potentially lead to conceiving a child. ? and ? Christians accept that people should only have as many children as they are able to care for. It would be unfair to bring a baby into a life of deprivation. They allow contraception to enable couples to develop their relationship before having children, or to space out pregnancies to avoid harming the mother's health. The Church of England approved the use of artificial contraception in 1930:

Not being open to new life and so are preventing God's plan is not the rhythm method natural methods can be less reliable Anglicans Nonconformist

Islamic teaching on contraception:

Islamic teaching from Muhammad is that Muslims should practise responsible parenthood. They should only have the children they can care properly for.

Jewish teaching on contraception:

In Judaism, Orthodoxy accepts the use of contraception for medical/health reasons. The 'wasting of seed' is forbidden in the Torah, so the Pill is an acceptable form to use.

The Catholic Church values marriage as:

• an exclusive union of two people
• a sacrament and a sign of God's love and blessing on and through the couple
• a sign of the love of Christ for the Church.

The Christian purposes of marriage are:

To bring children into the world
To be supportive
To reflect God's love
Companionship
To provide a spiritual bond.

Sometimes the cost of marriage prevents people from marrying immediately. In contemporary British society many couples live together without being married. This is called cohabitation. Some want to see if their relationship is going to work, and then may decide to marry if they are starting a family. Others never marry, but live and raise their children together in a loving partnership. Christians who are opposed to sex before marriage believe ?. The Orthodox Church, for example, ?. The Catholic Church agrees that sex can only occur in a marriage.

Cohabitation is sinful is opposed to any recognition of a sexual relationship outside a Christian marriage

Unlike Catholics, many Anglican and Protestant Christians accept that although marriage is best, people may live together in a ? way without being married.

Faithful, loving and committed

Cohabitation:

A couple living together and having a sexual relationship without being married to one another

Catholic view on same sex marriage:

Procreation is an essential part of marriage and therefore same-sex marriage is not permissible in the Catholic Church.

Whilst Catholics are against same sex marriage, some liberal Christians see marriage as ?.

An expression of love and therefore allow same-sex marriage

? is a Christian denomination that support same sex marriage.

The Quakers

In England and Wales, divorce ? legal.

Is

Divorce:

The legal ending of a marriage

Annulment:

A Catholic Church ruling that a marriage was never valid.

In the RCC, divorce is ?. An annulment ? allowed if:

Forbidden and not recognised is
•One partner was forced into the marriage
•One partner suffered from mental problems at the time of the marriage
•One partner did not intend to keep the vows
•One partner was not baptised a the time of marriage.

In the CofE, divorces are ? (think Henry VIII).

Not encouraged but permissible

Reasons for divorce include: (9)

People changing, growing apart and falling out of love
Immaturity
Addiction
Domestic violence or abuse
Inability to have children
Work and money pressures
Disappointment about love-making
Illness or disability
Adultery

For Catholics, divorce is unacceptable. This is because ?.

Marriage is a sacrament that is permanent, exclusive and lifelong and the couple makes vowels before God that can never be broken

Other Protestant churches, for example the ? or ?, accept civil divorce and allow remarriage in church as long as ?. They think that the Church should reflect the forgiveness of God and allow people who have made mistakes the opportunity to find happiness in a second marriage. The Eastern Orthodox Church grants divorces and remarries couples, but ?.

Methodist United Reformed Church the couple take the vows seriously usually not more than twice

Some would argue that divorce might be ethical in some circumstances, such as those where ?. Whilst less serious, some would argue that divorce is also acceptable if ?.

One partner is being abused by the other one partner has committed adultery

Family:

A group of people who are related by blood, marriage or adoption

Nuclear family:

A couple and their children regarded as a basic social unit

Stepfamily:

A family that is formed on the remarriage of a divorced or widowed person and that includes a child or children

Extended family:

A family that extends beyond just parents and their children, including grandparents and other relatives as well

Polygamy:

The practise or custom of having more than one wife at the same time

Bigamy:

The offence of marrying someone while already married to another person

According to the Christian Church families are supposed to be a place of ?.
? set a good example to modern Christians.

LOVE, SUPPORT and FAITH Jesus' family

Family life has changed over the years but the family is still considered the best environment for ?. The basic unit of mother, father and children (a nuclear family) is still most common in the West, although in the UK approximately 25 per cent of children now live in single-parent families. There are more 'stepfamilies', where divorced people with children marry new partners with children of their own. Same sex couples may have children from previous relationships, legally adopt children, conceive through in vitro fertilisation (IVF), or use surrogates. In the past, families were larger, and often included grandparents and other relatives (an extended family) living together. For many non-Western cultures, the extended family unit is still very common.

Bringing up children and keeping society stable

One role of parents is:

To teach their children right and wrong and to bring them up in the faith.

Children should:

Do what their parents command and to respect and listen to them

The purposes of families are:

• Procreation
• Stability and the protection of children
• Educating children in a faith

The Catholic Church teaches that the family has four tasks. These are:

• to form a community
• to support the life and personal development of each individual
• to share in the development of the wider society
• to share in the life and mission of the Church

Why is procreation a purpose of family?

The Catholic Church teaches that the family is the best environment in which to bring up children, who are visible signs of the love the parents have for each other. It is through having children that the couple make their own family, adding another level to the families in which they themselves were raised and nourished.

Why is security/stability and the protection of children a purpose of family?

Children need a stable, safe environment in which to develop. Development comes through experiencing life and responding to challenges. In a loving family environment, these challenges can be presented in a way that ensures the child will be not be harmed. The parents and older siblings play their part in helping a younger member of the family learn how take part in the life of the community. The parents' role is always to be supportive, though at times this may translate into 'tough love', creating conditions where the risk of failure or hardship ultimately helps the child to develop.

Why is education a purpose of family?

The Catholic Church believes that parents are the first and most important teachers of their children. Children should be able to grow and flourish, supported by the actions, teachings and examples of their parents. Parents should help their children to appreciate different aspects of life, particularly the differences between right and wrong, and how to live according to Christian principles.

The Catholic Church ? support bigamy/polygamy. The Catholic Church ? support same sex parents.

Does not does not

Why does the Catholic Church not support polygamy?

Catholics believe that marriage is an exclusive union of two people and that marrying multiple people, you cannot honour this lifetime commitment to one person.

Some might argue that polygamy is acceptable because ?.

There are examples of people who practised polygamy in the Bible

Bigamy ? illegal in Britain.

Is

Some traditional Christians disapprove of same-sex parents because they feel the ideal is ?. Other Christians say that it is more important for children ?.

For children to grow up with a male and female role model as parents to be in a secure and loving family regardless of the gender of their parents

? allows a husband to marry more than one wife (but a wife cannot marry more than one husband). As well as this, some ? also practise polygamy today.

Islam Mormon

The Catholic Church promotes the ? of men and women; they are different but varying skills compliment each other.

Complementarity

Women ? permitted to be priests in the Catholic Church because priests are ?. This rule is also inspired by the fact that ?. Female ? are allowed in the Church of England.

Are not 'in persona Christi' (in the person of Christ) Jesus only appointed male disciples vicars

Throughout the Old Testament, women play special roles on the same level as men. For example, ? acted as a judge (Judges 4:4-10) and played a similar role to Gideon. ? was the person who ? (<-- 4-5). Ruth showed the Jews how to be faithful (Ruth 1-4).

Deborah Esther brought about the freedom of the Jews from the Persians

In the New Testament, the importance and dignity of women is symbolised in ?. She is the perfect disciple as she shows how all people should be open to the will of God when she says, 'Here am I, the servant of the Lord' (Luke 1:38).

Mary, the mother of Jesus

Jesus showed great respect for women. In his teachings about divorce and adultery, he showed that ?, which was an unusual position to take in those days.

The same standards apply to men and women

An important event that shows how Jesus regarded women as being equal to men is the fact that ?, and that Mary of Magdala was given the task of announcing the resurrection to Jesus' male followers (see John 20:17).

He first appeared to a woman after the resurrection

Note: In the early Christian community, the role of women was recognised. They were prominent among the leaders and preachers.

Done.

The importance of men in the Bible is illustrated by the fact that ?. Even in the New Testament, men appear to dominate. Jesus' 12 apostles, who Catholics believe were made the first priests at the Last Supper, were all men. It was largely male followers who travelled round the Roman Empire spreading the teachings of Jesus.

Most events recorded are about men

The main reason for the focus on men was connected to ?. Most people would not have accepted women who went from town to town preaching. Christians had to be careful how far they challenged the structure of society in the Roman Empire if they wanted people to listen. However, the importance of women, particularly as the first witnesses of the resurrection, was an essential fact in Christianity.

The structure of society at the time

Gender equality means that men and women should be given the same rights and opportunities as each other. Many people in Britain today agree with the idea of gender equality, but there ? many examples where it does not happen. Something that prevents it is ?, which is often based on sexual stereotyping. An example of this is the idea that ?, so they should look after the home while men go out to work. Sexual stereotyping can lead to gender discrimination, perhaps by not giving a man a job looking after young children or not employing a woman on a building site.

Are gender prejudice women are more naturally caring or are the weaker sex

Catholics believe that men and women ? equal because ?. However, the Church also points out that it ? believe is equality and uniformity. One reason for this is that ?.

Are they were made in the imago and likeness of God (imago dei) and so should both be treated with love and respect. does not men and women have physical and mental differences which can give them both strengths and weaknesses, which is not a bad thing

While few people would argue against the Catholic Church's teaching that men and women are equally important, many would argue that this does not mean men and women should not have different, predefined roles. For example, the Catholic Church does not allow women to ?, and believes the mother should be allowed to fulfil her role in the family of ?. Many people in Britain today would view this as sexist, as they believe that treating women as equals means allowing them equal opportunities. Some would argue that men and women are equally capable of fulfilling the same roles; others might argue that even though women and men overall may be suited to particular roles, this does not mean that individuals should be expected to fulfil particular roles or denied the opportunity to fulfil others.

Be priests looking after the home and children

Read the arguments for and against gender equality on the Theme F Quizlet.

Done.

Gender prejudice:

Expecting someone to behave in a particular way because of their gender

Gender discrimination:

Taking actions that treat one person differently to another because of their gender

The Catholic Church believes that discrimination can do great damage as it can ?. It can hurt those who are being discriminated against, making them feel like they have less worth and value. Widespread discrimination can affect society as a whole. For example, in Britain in the first half of the twentieth century, women were usually paid much less than men, even for similar jobs.

Prevent people from developing their God-given talents

In 2015, Pope Francis spoke about women who were being paid less than men for a piece of work. He said: '?' This example sums up the Church's attitude to gender discrimination. The Church believes is not acceptable to treat men and women differently in the same situation.

Why is it expected that women must earn less than men? No! They have the same rights. The disparity is a pure scandal.

The Catholic Church has championed the rights of women in the home and family, in the workplace, and within society. The Church believes that women should be entitled to fulfil their primary role in society as mothers who bring up their children in safety. This role ? be taken from them for political or financial reasons. The Church believes that all societies should support the role of women in this regard, ? those women who choose to go to work the full opportunity to do so.

Must not while also allowing

The Church acknowledges that ?. It teaches that there should be '?', which means that no distinction should be made between the sexes in any particular situation.

The rights of men also need to be protected objective equality

The Catholic Church ? agree that men and women should be treated identically, unless the situation being dealt with requires this. Men and women have their own roles that must be respected. Certain roles, notably ?, belong to one gender rather than the other.

Does not the priesthood

As well as negative discrimination there can also be ?. This happens when - in an attempt to counteract negative discrimination - people who have previously been discriminated against are given preferential treatment. An example might be for a company to have a certain number of people from ethnic minorities that they need to employ, to help overcome prejudice that might be present in the workplace. Some people approve of the good intentions behind the policy, but claim that ?.

Positive discrimination positive discrimination is actually as bad as negative discrimination in practice

2 examples of gender discrimination are:

1) On average women are paid less than men; some are paid less than men doing the same jobs.
2) Women make up roughly half of the workforce, but men hold a higher proportion of senior positions.