Families

Family is Important to Christians and Jews

  1. Ideally, a stable family can give a child a sense of identity and a feeling of security. They’ll learn how to behave, how to give and receive love, and about right and wrong

  2. Many Christians and Jews think it’s best for a child to have a father and a mother present, so that they grow up with one role model of each sex. Ideally, the couple would be married, as it’s believed this provides more stability

  3. For religious people, family life can be a way of introducing their children to their faith

Christianity and Catholic Christianity

  • Family life is important for most Christians. It’s seen as a way to build a stage society

    • “family is ‘the first and vital cell of society’.” Pope John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio 42 (Catholic teachings on family)

  • Many Christians believe it’s important to have children and educate them in faith

    • “Bring [your children] up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)

  • This might include activities at home such as reading the child Bible stories, or teaching them about prayer by saying grace before meals

  • Children become part of the faith at baptism, and this develops as they attend church and prepare for confirmation. Many churches offer help in raising children, through Sunday schools. These schools aim to teach Christian morals and ideals through the study of Bible stories.

  • Festivals such as Christmas and Easter have a strong emphasis on celebration within the family

  • Children are asked to honour their parents - to look after and respect them (Exodus 20:12)

  • It is the duty of Christian parents to raise their children in the faith.

    Depending on their denomination, Christians are expected to ensure their children receive religious instruction/attend religious schools/participate in rites of passage ceremonies, eg christening/confirmation/membership ceremonies/attend church, etc.

    'Honour your father and your mother.' (Exodus 20:12) and Paul's teaching 'Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.' (Ephesians 6:4)

Judaism

  • Family life is also very important to Jews, as it’s through the family that the Jewish religion and customs are passed on. Children are seen as a divine gift - Psalm 127:3 says “Children are a heritage from the Lord”. Orthodox Jews consider anyone whose mother is Jewish is to be Jewish - Reformed Jews say the father can ‘pass on’ Jewishness as well.

  • Children should look after their parents - honouring your parents is a mitzvah (Exodus 20:12).

  • Many Jewish rituals happen in the home, such as celebrating Shabbat or keeping kashrut, so family life is important for education children about the Jewish faith.

  • Children often attend classes at a heder (a religious school run by the synagogue) to learn Hebrew, and study the Torah and Talmud. This helps the be able to participate in prayers and services.

  • Rituals like Brit Milah (male circumcision) and simchat bat (a girl’s naming ceremony) connect the child to the faith. Their bar/bat mitzvah ceremony requires them to learn about Judaism

  • Jewish mothers have a particular role in passing their faith on to their children./The Torah commands parents to teach God's words to their children (Deuteronomy 11:19/Parents should keep a kosher home/ensure children take part in rites of passage ceremonies, eg Brit Milah, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, etc./lead family celebration of Shabbat and festivals such as Passover/in some religious families, father and mother have equal but different roles/father working to support the family, mother at home looking after the children eg Orthodox Jews/the mother

    'watches over the affairs of the household (Proverbs 31:27)/some

    Orthodox Jews will arrange suitable marriage for their children.

Family Life in the UK has Changed

  1. For a long time, the nuclear family was seen in Britain as the ideal family model. Traditionally, a nuclear family was a married man and woman and their children. Religious families are more likely than the UK average to follow this model

  2. Today, the term may include same-sex parents, unmarried couples, and reconstituted (or blended) families (where divorcees with children find new partners). Single-parent families are more common too

  3. Some people worry it’s bad for children to grow up with same-sex parents, because they will only have role models from one gender. However, many people believe same-sex couples can provide a stable loving home, which is what’s important

  4. An extended family includes grandparents, cousins and so on. An extended family might live together, which has become more common as people live longer, house prices rise and both parents work. For example, parents and children might share a home with grandparents to save money on houses. The grandparents can then be looked after by the parents but also help look after the children.

Christians Try to Welcome Different Families

  1. Some Christians’ views on divorce and homosexuality make it difficult for them to accept certain types of family. But whatever their opinions, many Christians focus on making sure reconstituted families and single or same-sex parents feel welcome in church. They consider it important that the family remains connected to the church, particularly so that any children will still be bought up in a Christian way.

  2. For example, Pope John Paul II said Catholics should take “solicitous care to make sure that [divorcees] do not consider themselves as separated from the Church” (Familiaris Consortio 84). However, divorced Catholics aren’t allowed to take communion, which could mean they feel unwelcome in church

  3. The Catholic Church is more strongly against same-sex parenting than many other denominations. Catholics believe homosexuality is wrong and God created men and women to form a family

Jewish Views Tend to Vary

  1. Single parents aren’t considered the ideal but many Jews try to make them feel welcome in the community. It can be harder for single parents to have time and money to take a full part in synagogue and Jewish life.

  2. It can sometimes be more difficult for divorced parents within the Orthodox (and especially the ultra-orthodox) community. Family os sich as important part of Judaism that divorcees can be seen as going against faith. Women without a get who have a new relationship can be seen as committing adultery, and their children are considered illegitimate.

  3. Progressive and Conservative Jews tend to be more accepting of divorcees, reconstituted families and same-sex parents. They focus on each individual being happy