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MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 1 MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY Key Words 1 Adultery – a sexual act between a married person and someone other than their marriage partner Civil partnership – a legal ceremony giving a homosexual couple the same legal rights as a husband and wife. Cohabitation – living together without being married Contraception – intentionally preventing pregnancy from occurring Faithfulness – staying with your partner and having sex only with them Homosexuality – sexual attraction to the same sex Nuclear family – mother, father and children living as a unit Pre-marital sex – sex before marriage Procreation – making new life Promiscuity – having sex with a number of partners without commitment Reconstituted family – where two sets of children (step-brothers and sisters) become one family when their divorced parents marry each other Re-marriage - marrying again after being divorced from a previous marriage MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 3 Reasons for the changing attitudes to family and divorce: CHANGING ATTITUDES TO COHABITATION & MARRIAGE Effective contraception more readily available Fewer people go to church, so believe sex before marriage is OK Many celebs cohabit making cohabitation appear more acceptable TV & films show sexual relationships outside of marriage which makes pre-marital sex more acceptable CHANGING ATTITUDES TO DIVORCE It used to be difficult to divorce. It was looked down on and you could not remarry in church. Today divorce is much more acceptable in society. Reasons for more divorces It is easier and cheaper to divorce than it used to be People live longer, so more opportunity for divorce Women are less prepared to put up with bad treatment from husbands than they used to be Women are more financially independent MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 2 Changing Attitudes to marriage and family life Family life has changed in the U.K as have attitudes to marriage and cohabitation In the 1960s young people wouldn’t have sex until they were married, they would marry in a church by the age of 25, most marriages would last for life, most families would be nuclear families and homosexual sex was a criminal offence. How attitudes have changed: Most people have sex before marriage Couples cohabit before marriage People get married later in life Not many marriages take place in church Divorce is accepted Extended families are common There are many single parent families Many parents are not married As more divorce and remarry there are more reconstituted families Homosexual sex is legal Civil partnerships are legal (Civil Partnerships Act 2004) MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 4 Reasons for the changing attitudes to family and divorce: FAMILY LIFE More cohabiting couples means many families where parents aren’t married More divorce has led to an increase in re-marriage Extended family is more popular with mothers being in work Increased divorce rate means more single parent families HOMOSEXUALITY Changes in the law on homosexuality makes society more accepting of homosexual couples Homosexuality could be ‘genetic’, making it more acceptable More openness of gay celebs makes it more acceptable, e.g. Elton 2 John and David Furnish The work of organisations e.g. Stonewall has led to more equal rights for homosexuals MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 5 Sex outside marriage –Christian views Sex outside marriage includes adultery and premarital sex 1. Most Christians believe that the right place for sex is within marriage and so pre-marital sex is wrong. The Catholic Truth Society says, "Every sexual act must be within the framework of marriage". 2. In the Ten Commandments it says: You shall not commit adultery. Committing adultery (unfaithfulness) breaks the marriage vows and 10 commandments. 3. Promiscuity is also condemned by Christians. In the Bible sex outside marriage is called fornication, and this is a sin. 4. Some Church leaders and the Catholic Catechism say that sex before marriage is a sin. 5. Sex was given to humans for procreation & children should be brought up in a Christian family. 6. Some Christians (liberal Protestants) believe sex before marriage is OK if the couple love each other, are in a long term relationship and plan to marry eventually. They accept co-habitation. MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 6 Sex outside marriage – Muslim views MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 7 Divorce – Christianity There are different attitudes to divorce in Christianity: 1. Roman Catholics do not accept divorce because: Jesus banned divorce in Mark’s gospel When people marry they make a covenant with God that cannot be broken without God’s consent. The Cathechism says divorce is not allowed BUT Catholics have Marriage Tribunals that can decide a marriage never existed (annulment). 2. Most Christians do not approve of divorce but believe that if a marriage has broken down and there is no chance of the couple getting together again, then there can be divorced. They believe this because: God is always prepared to forgive sins if people are determined to live a new life. In St Matthew’s Gospel Jesus allows divorce for adultery. It might be the ‘lesser of 2 evils’ to get divorced MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 8 Divorce – Islam There are 2 attitudes to divorce and remarriage in Islam: Some Muslims disagree with divorce because: Muhammad said: "The most detestable act God has permitted is divorce" (Hadith) Divorce harms the family which is very important in Islam. Muslims will be judged on the Last Day about how well they have looked after their family Teachings in the Qur’an go against divorce – have a 3 month cooling off period instead 1. All Muslims believe marriage is the right place for sex. They condemn sex before marriage (pre-marital sex) and outside of marriage (adultery). 2. Muslims believe this because: The Qur’an teaches that sex before marriage is the same as adultery and a great sin. The Shari’ah Law says sex should only take place in marriage In Islam there are strict punishments for sex outside marriage (adultery & pre-marital sex). Sex should primarily be for procreation, & children should be brought up in a family where the mother and father are married Muslims think sexual permissiveness lead to a breakdown in society & the Qur’an says nothing should be done to harm the family. Divorce is permitted and acceptable as a last resort in Islam. There has to be a 3 month period when a couple try to restore their marriage. This is because: Marriage is a contract in Islam & contracts can be broken 3 The Qur’an allows divorce and sets out regulations about it. Divorce is the lesser of 2 evils-better to divorce than live in hatred The Shari’ah law allows divorce MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 9 Family Life – Christianity Family life is important for Christians because: Having children is seen as an important purpose of marriage They believe the family was created by God to keep society together and is the basis of society. Christian teaching of divorce makes it clear parents should stay together The family is the place where children learn the difference between right and wrong The family introduces children to faith through baptism, Sunday School, festivals, etc. MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 10 Family Life – Islam Family life is at the centre of Islam and is very important because: The Qur’an says children are a gift from God and parents will be judged at the Last Day on how well they have brought them up. The Qur’an teaches the family is the basic unit of society. This is the place where children should be brought up. The Prophet Muhammad married and had a family – Muslims should follow his example. The family is the place where children learn the difference between right and wrong The family introduces children to faith through aqiqa, Salah, going to madrasah etc However, some Christians who believe they should follow the traditions from the time of Jesus believe Christians should leave their families and serve God by being a monk/priest/nun. MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 11 Christian attitudes to homosexuality MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 12 Muslim attitudes to homosexuality There are 3 different attitudes to homosexuality among Christians – Evangelical Protestant attitude Homosexuality is a sin & shouldn’t be practised because: 1) The Bible condemns homosexuality 2) Jesus can remove homosexual feelings 3) Churches don’t allow homosexuality The Catholic attitude Homosexuality is not a sin but practising it is a sin because: 1) The Bible condemns homosexuality 2) The Catholic Church condemns it 3) Discrimination is a sin, so Catholics must accept homosexuals The Liberal Protestant attitude Lifelong homosexual relationships are acceptable, but homosexual relationships cannot be equal to a Christian marriage because: 1) The Bible needs interpreting in light of modern times 2) Christians should demonstrate love as taught in the Bible 3) It is very hypocritical to criticise homosexuals The majority attitude Most Muslims believe homosexuality is wrong because: It is condemned in the Qur’an, which is the final word of God Muhammad condemned homosexuality & Muslims should follow his teachings The primary aim of sex is procreation which cannot happen through homosexual sex Homosexuality denies the possibility of family life, the family is the heart of Islam. The minority attitude Some Muslims believe homosexuality is acceptable because: Islam is a religion of tolerance so everyone should be accepted God created everyone and loves each person 4 Scientific evidence suggests people are born homosexual so God must have made them that way. MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 13 Different Christian attitudes to contraception Contraception was developed in the 19th Century. The pill became popular in the 1950s to prevent against pregnancy. Condoms are now a popular form of contraception to also prevent against STIs. Christians have 2 main views to contraception: Catholic Attitude: Sex is for procreation as well as pleasure. Christians shouldn’t use artificial methods of contraception but natural family planning (sex during the infertile period of a woman’s menstrual cycle). They have this attitude because: The Pope has condemned artificial methods of contraception God intended Christians to procreate Some contraceptives act as an abortifaciant and make women have a very early abortion Contraception can encourage promiscuity which can lead to broken families and STIs. MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 14 Different Christian attitudes to contraception Non Catholic Christian Attitude: All forms of contraception are acceptable for controlling the size of the family but not to stop couples having children. They have this attitude because: Christianity is about love, and contraception helps improve women’s health, etc and the standard of living for families God created sex for enjoyment in marriage and so women should not have to worry about falling pregnant Nothing in the Bible forbids contraception It is better to combat HIV/AIDS by using contraception than following Christian rules too strictly. MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 15 Different Muslim attitudes to contraception MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 15 Different Muslim attitudes to contraception Muslims have 2 viewpoints to contraception: Some Muslims believe contraception is going against the will of God because: Muslims have 2 viewpoints to contraception: Some Muslims believe contraception is going against the will of God because: The Qur’an suggests that Muslims are against birth control They believe God created sex for procreation and contraception stops this Some contraceptives act as an early abortifaciant They believe it is a Muslim’s duty to have a large family Some Muslims believe contraception is OK to limit family size because: There are several Hadiths where Muhammad allows the use of coitus interruptus as a means of contraception The Qur’an states the family shouldn’t have too much pressure on them and contraception may help with this If the pregnancy may lead to the mother’s death, contraception is allowed Muslim lawyers agree contraception is different to abortion so should be allowed The Qur’an suggests that Muslims are against birth control They believe God created sex for procreation and contraception stops this Some contraceptives act as an early abortifaciant They believe it is a Muslim’s duty to have a large family Some Muslims believe contraception is OK to limit family size because: There are several Hadiths where Muhammad allows the use of coitus interruptus as a means of contraception The Qur’an states the family shouldn’t have too much pressure on them and contraception may help with this If the pregnancy may lead to the mother’s death, contraception is allowed Muslim lawyers agree contraception is different to abortion so should be 5 allowed PART B QUESTIONS – 4 MARKS PART C QUESTIONS – 8 MARKS Do you think religions should accept homosexuality? Give two reasons for your point of view. Choose one religion other than Christianity and explain why some of its followers allow any form of contraception and some do not. Do you think divorced Christians should be able to get remarried in church? Give two reasons for your point of view. Choose one religion other than Christianity and explain why most of its followers are against sex outside marriage. Do you think homosexuals should have equal rights? Give two reasons for your point of view. Choose one religion other than Christianity and explain why some of its followers are against homosexuality, but others are not. Should religious people use contraception? Give two reasons for your point of view. Choose one religion other than Christianity and explain why some of its followers allow divorce, but others are against it. Do you think men should help with housework? Give two reasons for your point of view. Explain why Christians have different attitudes to the use of contraception. PART D QUESTIONS – 6 MARKS ‘Family life is more important for religious people than for nonreligious people.’ i) Do you agree? Give reasons for your opinion. ii) Give reasons why some people may disagree with you. ‘No religious person should ever get divorced.’ ‘No Christian should ever get divorced.’ ‘Christians should never use contraceptives.’ ‘No Christian should be homosexual.’ ‘There’s no difference between living with a partner and being married to them.’ 6