Marriage
and
Family
A man will leave his father and
Mother and be united with
His wife and the two will
Become ONE BODY (The bible)
What God has joined
Let no man separate
(The Bible)
GCSE Revision
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 marriage partner, 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 a new life
• promiscuity
having sex with a number of partners without commitment
• re-constituted family
where two sets of children (stepbrothers and stepsisters)
become one family when their divorced parents marry each
other
• re-marriage
• marrying again after being divorced from a previous
marriage
Changing attitudes to marriage
and family life
Safer contraception
More sex
before marriage
& more
COHABITING
couples
People are not
as religious
More
single parent
& reconstituted
families
Easier &
Cheaper
More
DIVORCES
People take vows
less seriously
Women less
prepared to
put up with
bad treatment
More divorces
Medical research
Has shown that
Homosexuality is
natural
Changes in
the law
Media coverage of
Gay celebrities
More civil
Partnerships
(this is a legal
Ceremony giving
Homosexual
Couples the
Same rights as
Husband and wife)
Gay rights
campaigns
Sex Outside Marriage
The Christian attitude to cohabitation is
similar to that for premarital sex
PREMARITAL
Sex
Church has
to
modernise
Bible
Most Christians
“IT’S WRONG”
Liberal
Protestants
ACCEPT IF it the
Couple intend to
MARRY
Jesus said
love most
important
thing
There shouldn’t be a
Hint of sexual
Immorality among you
-ST PAUL
Church
Leaders
condemn
Breaks 7th
command
ment
Against
Marriage
Vows
The husband and wife
Promise to FORSAKE
ALL OTHERS
ADULTERY
(when a married person
has sex with someone
other than their spouse)
ALWAYS
WRONG
Weddings and Marriage
Comfort &
Companionship
Live together in
Love
Catholics see Marriage
as a SACRAMENT
(an outward sign of God’s blessing)
Promises before
witnesses to stay
together ‘til death
Purpose
Have children
and create a
Christian Family
Enjoy Sex in
God’s intended
way
Exchange
Rings
Outward sign
of eternal love
Exchange Vows
Wedding
features
Prayers and
Bible Readings
God is an
important part
of the marriage
Divorce – LEGALLY dissolving a
marriage, so the couple can REMARRY
ROMAN CATHOLICS
Not Allowed
ANNULMENT
allowed e.g.
where one
partner not
baptised
A COVENANT
(agreement)
with God
CANNOT be
broken
Jesus banned it
(In Mark – the
bible)
God
FORGIVES
people and
allows them a
NEW START
Jesus allows
divorce for
ADULTERY in
Matthew
PROTESTANTS
Disapprove but Allowed
Family Life
Types
Extended
Basis of
Society
Where
children
taught
right from
wrong
Nuclear
Parents CARE
for children’s
physical needs
(food etc.)
Reconstituted
Parents set
good
CHRISTIAN
EXAMPLE
(Pray together,
go to church
etc.)
Why family
important to
Christians
A major
purpose of
marriage
Children OBEY
and RESPECT
parents
Christian
Family
Children LOOK
AFTER parents
when old
Created by
God
Baptisms/Dedications – parents promise a loving Christian home
How
CHURCHES
assist family life
Sunday School, Family Services
Cubs, Brownies, Girls’ and Boys’ Brigade
Family Guidance Counselling
Christianity and Homosexuality
• Liberal Protestants
– Homosexuals should
be respected, but they
should restrict their sex
to one lifelong
partner.
• Because:
– The parts of the Bible
that condemn
homosexuality are from
the culture of the time
not from God.
– Jesus never
condemned
homosexuals and said
love is the most
important thing.
• Evangelical Protestants
– It’s a sin and homosexuals
should pray to be changed.
• Because:
– The Bible says homosexuality is
wrong.
– The Holy Spirit can change
people.
• Roman Catholics
– Being a homosexual is not a sin
but having homosexual sex is.
• Because
– The bible says things against
homosexuality.
– The Pope and church
traditionally say it’s wrong
– Sex should be about creating a
new life and this can’t be done in
a homosexual relationship.
Christian attitudes to contraception
Contraception – intentionally preventing pregnancy.
The Roman Catholic Attitude
They don’t allow it because…
• Marriage is to have children
• May encourage adultery
• There should always be the
possibility of children
• The Pope says
it is wrong
The Non-Catholic Attitude
They allow it because…
• Contraception improves women’s health
• God made sex for enjoyment not just to have
babies
• There’s nothing in the bible that forbids
contraception
• Contraception stops STI’s and unwanted
pregnancy
How an issue from Marriage and the Family
has been presented in one form of the media
Media:
Issue:
• TV Programme Simpsons
“Homer the Heretic”
• Family Life
Why this was
• It shows the
important and why problems associated
the producers
with bringing up a family in the
focused on this
Christian faith when parents
issue
disagree. It was chosen due to the
influence of other religions in a
increasingly Secular (non-religious)
Society.
Outline of how the issue was presented
• Homer splits his trousers and refuses to go to
church.
• Marge insists on taking the children without
him and they have a miserable time at church
(cold, boring, they get locked in the church)
• Homer has his best day ever and decides to
start a new religion of his own.
• Marge tries to convince Homer to come back to
church and explains how important it is that the
children are brought up in her faith.
• Homer accidently sets his house on fire.
• All the people of the county, of
different religions, come together to
save his house. Homer starts to go back to
church.
Was the issue presented fairly?
Yes: It showed...
No: It...
• that there’s a struggle
• gave the impression that
between faith and Secular
all people are theists but
society
don’t to church due to
boredom
• how the actions of a father
sets examples for his
• showed children being
children (Bart agreeing with
forced to share a religion
Homer and wanting to stay
because of parent and
home)
not choice (Marge forcing
the children to go to
• the common arguments for
church)
people who still believe in
God (theists) but choose
• implied that going to
not to go to church “why
church was more
should I go to church when I
important than family life
can worship you
as Marge said she would
everywhere in my own way”
choose ‘God’ over Homer
Was it fair to religious beliefs?
Yes: It showed...
No: It...
• how strongly people hold
their faith
• that God is ‘good’ as it
was said that He had
nothing to do with the fire,
but was working in the
hearts of all who helped.
This shows the key ideas
of compassion and
tolerance in all religions,
as the people were from
different faiths
• had ‘God’ agreeing with
Homer about how going
to a place of worship and
keeping one day Holy
was unnecessary
• gave the impression that
there is a belief that God
will punish anyone who
doesn’t go to church
(Homer refused to go and
his house caught fire)
Was it fair to religious people?
Yes: It showed...
• all religions working
together to help
someone who didn’t
share their faith
• Marge committed to
bringing up her children
in the way she
promised
• People committed to
their faith as a family
(the church was cold,
but the Simpsons and
Millhouse’s family still
went to church)
No: It showed...
• Homer refusing to help a
different religion (Krusty
collecting for ‘Jewish
Clowns’)
• Rev Lovejoy and the
church as boring and cold
• Christians (Ned)
disregarding tolerance and
risking safety (of his family
& others) to convert
Homer
• A Christian holding his
religion higher than any
other (referring to Apu’s
religion of Hinduism as
‘miscellaneous’)