rs theme a

age of consent

16 in uk. impt to protect young and vulnerable children from something that is potentially damaging. religion says adhere to the laws of the land and most advise not b4 marriage.

christian views on homosexuality

roman catholics - wrong bc cannot produce children, quote leviticus/corinthians. however as long as it is not acted on, it is not sinful to have inclinations

cofe - welcomes couples freely into church, yet still contention ab marriage in church - down to priest.

many believe bible needs to be interpreted in the context of modern society

islam views on homosexuality

in most islamic countries is against the law.

some say relationships are against allah’s will and inclinations should not be acted upon as this is haram (sexuality is a choice in the sense that you can decide not to act on inclinations)

inclusive mosque initiative working towards enging some of the stigma that exist

anglican and catholic christian attitudes to sex before marriage

sex requires the commitment of marriage, importance of chastity, to be pure before your partner, sex is something meaningful that only marriage is the right environment for this.

other christian attitudes to sex before marriage

valid expression of love for each other, more liberal approach that adapts more to the times in which we live in to make the faith more ‘compatible’ wot the modern world (love thy neighbour and all that)

islamic attitudes to sex before marriage

casual sex wrong, slippery slope (promiscuity, rape, decpetion..), sex is a gift from God, children have the right to be bron into a family, Qur’an states that sex before marriage is wrong, under Shariah law it is Zinah.

older vs contemp british attitudes to sex before marriage

older: shameful + impure, patriarchy, traditional Christianity, risk of pregnancy - babies born out of wedlock - bastards, taboo

contemp: less trad christian country, freedom of expression, seen in media, considered the norm, decline in purity culture, rise in atheism

christian beliefs on sex outside marriage

• wrong, involves secrecy, lies and betrayal of trust.

• adultery and breaks the promises Christian couples make to God during their wedding

• Jesus taught that lust is also wrong

• Marriage is a bond that demands total faithfulness

Islam beliefs on sex outside marriage

• Adultery is considered a serious sin. Qur’an expressly forbids adultery

• Under Shari’ah law, punishment is death by stoning.

  • More severe than before marriage bc couples need not go outside marr for satisfaction

    • Conviction requires a confession/4 separate eyewitnesses, rare to be reached

islam attitudes to contraception

only considered in context of marr.

• children are gift from god so couples expected to have children - use contraception only for family planning

• artificial accepted in the case of wife’s health, spacing out pregnancies, avoiding financial difficulty

• some think it is wrong bc interferes w god’s plans

christian attitudes to contraception

catholics + orthodox say artificial is wrong bc it goes against natural law & morals. Catholics also believe sex is for creating new life, not against family planning but prefer calendar method.

anglicans and protestant say people shoudl only have as many children as they want so is ok

cofe approved artificial contraception in 1930 lambeth conference

all opposed to coil and morning after pill - classify as abortion

marriage in islam

• foundation for family life (liek christians)

• According to the hadith, a man completes half of his religious responsibilities when he marries

• a faithful, lifelong partnership

• a social contract brigning families tgt

• best way for a stable relationship + sexual fulfilment

• both kepe own rights as equals, Q says that husbands and wives are life garments 4 eachother, should support and care

• a muslim woman must marry a mulsim man; a muslim man can marry a muslim, christian or jew

• nikkah contract between a husband and wife (consent they have married of their own free will)

islam attitudes to cohabitation

do not agree, believe sexual relationships shoudl be experience within the parameters of marriage

christian attitudes to cohabitation

those who believe sex b4 marriage is wrong generally class cohabitation as sinful (catholic, orthodox)

some recognise marriage to be best but accpet that couple can live together in a loving way (anglican, protestant)

contemp brit attitudes to contraception

widespread acceptance, responsible from a personal and global (overpopulation) pov,

christian attitudes to marriage

• monogamous

• lifelong

• purpose

  • to become one flesh and have a lifelong monogamous relationship

  • commited and loving sexual relationship

  • fulfil sacraments

  • procreate and start a family

christian attitudes to divorce and remarriage

jesus taught that anyone who divorced and remarried was committing adultery

catholic:

• marriage is a sacrament and therefore perm, no divorce

• may separate but not remarry

• annulment permitted if it was not a true marriage

other christians:

• marriage is 4 life but divorce is lesser of two evils, allows forgiveness and happiness

• most anglican, protestant, orthodox churches allow div + remarriage as long as it is taken seriously

islam attitudes to divorce and remarriage

divorce is allowed as a last resort. have to wait three months (iddah) w/o intimacy but still living tgt (allows time for reconsider and to see if wife is pregnant)

if div granted, woman repays wedding gift (in some circumstances) and man has to support children.

remarriage ok, muhammad married a divorced and widowed woman (kadija, 1st wife)

nuclear familiy

couple and their children

step family

family formed on remarriage of a divorced or widowed person including children

extended family

family that extends beyond just parents and their children by including grandparents and other children

polygamy

practice/custom of having more than one wife at a time

bigamy

the offence of marrying someone whilst already married to another

same-sex parents

people of the same sex raising children tgt

christian role of parents

• provide for children

• raise kids in faith

  • sunday school

• love, care for and show children right from wrong

islam role of parents

trad man: work and provide for wife and kids

trad wife: look after home raise children

• raise within faith

  • madrassah, mosque school

christian purpose of families

• procreation and provide for children

• raise kids within faith

  • e.g christmas, easter

• to show love and faithfulness

  • reflects christian idea of agape, reflects gods love for humanity

islam purpose of families

• procreation (marriage is only acceptable place for child)

• raise children within faith

• care for parents and elders

• to build a moral society, foundation of a strong ummah

gender equality

everyone having same rights and treatment regardless of gender

gender prejudice

unfairly judging someone b4 you know them bc of their gender, or holding biased, negative views about someone because of their gender

gender discrimination

acting in an unfair, negative way towards someone because of their sex

sexual stereotypes

having a fixed idea or view of how men and women behave, not appreciating that all men and women can think or behave differently to others

christian beliefs on gender equality

all created equal in eyes of god, love thy neighbour shows discrimination is wrong. jesus welcomed women as disciples

literal interpretation of bible: men head of family, women stay at home and look after kid (reflects attitudes at the time)

islam beliefs on gender equality

allah created everyone as equals from a single soul

muhammad worked to unite tribes in medinah to one ummah w equality and justice for all

in qur’an, women have full property rights b4+after marr., w may keep maiden name, full financial support during marr and iddah