Religion and Life Paper Marriage and the Family Topic Changing attitudes to marriage and family life Sex outside marriage Christian and Jewish attitudes Divorce Christian and Jewish attitudes ID: 599646
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Slide1
Marriage and Family Life
Religion and Life PaperSlide2
Marriage and the Family Topic
Changing attitudes to marriage and family life
Sex outside marriage – Christian and Jewish attitudes
Divorce – Christian and Jewish attitudes
Importance of family life for Christians and Jews
Homosexuality – Christian and Jewish views
Contraception – Christian and Jewish viewsSlide3
Marriage and Family Life Keywords
Civil Partnership –
a legal ceremony giving a homosexual couple the same legal rights as a husband and wife
Cohabitation –
living together without being married
Nuclear Family –
mother, father and children living as a unit
Re-constituted family –
where two sets of children (step-brothers and step-sisters) become one family when their divorced parents marry each other
Homosexuality –
sexual attraction to the same sex
Re-marriage –
marrying again after being divorced from a previous marriage
Adultery –
a sexual act between a married person and someone other than their marriage partner
Faithfulness –
staying with your marriage partner and having sex only with them
Pre-marital sex –
sex before marriage
Procreation –
making a new life
Promiscuity –
having sex with a number of partners without commitment
Contraception –
intentionally preventing pregnancy from occurringSlide4
How
Attitudes to Marriage and Family Life have Changed
Sex before marriage more common
Cohabitation more common
Increase in average age for marrying
Less marriages in Church
Divorce more acceptable
Extended family
Increase in single-parent families
Children bought up by cohabiting partners
Reconstituted families
Homosexual sex made legal
Civil Partnerships Act
Gay marriage legalised Slide5
Why
Attitudes to Marriage and Family Life have Changed
Cohabitation and marriage:
Increased availability of contraception
Christianity lost its influence
Media publicity of cohabiting celebrities
TV and films showing sex outside marriage
Divorce
1969 – new laws – cheaper and easier
Increased equality for womenMany women financially independent
Family Life
More cohabitation – more unmarried parents
More divorce = more remarriage = more reconstituted families
Extended family – more mothers in employment – others look after children
More divorce = more single-parent families
Homosexuality
Changes in law make society more accepting
Medical research – homosexuality probably genetic – normal
Openness of gay celebrities
Organisations like StonewallSlide6
Christian
Attitudes to
Sex Outside of Marriage
Most Christians
–
believe sex before marriage is wrong
Christianity teaches sex was given to humans by God for
procreation
and children should only be brought up in a Christian marriage
Bible
– fornication is sinful
Catechism
of the Catholic Church – pre-marital sex is wrong
Some Christians
– would accept cohabitation
But would expect them to marry when starting a familyWould only accept sex in a committed long-term relationship“Love thy neighbour”
All Christians
–
Against adultery
Breaks the
wedding vows
Condemned in the 10 commandments –
“thou shall not commit adultery”
Condemned by Jesus
in the Gospels Slide7
Jewish
Attitudes to
Sex Outside of Marriage
Most Jews
–
believe sex before marriage is wrong
Torah
forbids fornication
Talmud
– sex should only take place within marriage
Primary purpose of sex for
procreation
,
children should only be born within marriage
Some Progressive Jews – would accept cohabitation
OK to cohabit as long as committed, monogamous and intend to marry.“Love thy Neighbour”
All Jews
–
Against adultery
Breaks the
wedding vows
Condemned in the 10 commandments –
“thou shall not commit adultery”
Likely to
harm the family
which is the basis of JudaismSlide8
Christian Attitudes to
Divorce
Catholics –
No to divorce, does allow legal separation if impossible to live together – but still married in eyes of God and can’t remarry
Jesus –
“Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her…”
Couple have made
covenant with God
Church teaches in
catechism
that divorce is wrong
Most Non-Catholic Christians
-
Think divorce is wrong but allowed if marriage broken down. Most allow remarriage
Jesus
– “…anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery” – divorce OK in some circumstancesLesser of 2 evilsForgiveness and 2nd chancesChurch
– better to divorce than live in hatred and quarrel.Slide9
Judaism
and
Divorce
Some Jews
– Always Wrong:
Talmud
– divorce is an offence to God –
“If a man divorces his first wife, even the altar of the temple sheds tears”
Believe it will
harm childrenSome Rabbis
teach it is wrong as can harm partner and children
Many Orthodox
– OK if initiated by man:
Torah
– statements which permit divorceMarriage is a contract that can be brokenHalakhah – only men can apply
Most Reform Jews – Allow divorce for both:Believe Torah and Halakhah not direct word of God – should be interpreted in modern worldBelieve men and women should have equal rights in religionLesser of 2 evilsSlide10
Why
Family Life is Important
to
Christians and Jews
Christians –
Very Important
Main purposes of Christian
marriage
is to
bring children up in Christian environment
Family created by God
as basic unit of society and only place children should be brought up
Teachings on divorce
make it clear parents should stay together
Family is where children learn right and wrongFamily is where children are introduced to the faith
Judaism – Very ImportantFamily created by God as basic unit of society and only place children should be brought upReligious duty for Jews to marry and have children
Judaism passed on through birth
– only children of married Jewish parents are automatically Jewish
Family is where
children learn right and wrong
Family
is where
children are introduced to the faithSlide11
Christian
Attitudes to
Homosexuality
Catholics
– Being homosexual not a sin but homosexual relationships are (but condemns all forms of homophobia)
Bible
condemns homosexual sexual activity
Sexual activity should be
creative as well as unitive
Magisterium
condemns it
Church
– can’t help sexual orientation therefore discrimination is wrong
Liberal Protestants
Lifelong homosexual relationships acceptable but not equal to Christian marriage
Bible needs interpreting in modern age“Love thy neighbour”Christian belief in love and acceptance
“We are all made in the image of God”
Christians should be open and honest
and refusing rights to gay people encourages them to be dishonest
Evangelical Protestants
– Homosexuality is a sin. Hold prayer meetings to try to change homosexuals’ sexual preference (but still condemn homophobia):
Bible
condemns homosexual sexual activity – they believe Bible is word of God
Salvation of Christ
can remove all sins including homosexuality
All
churches
have taught homosexual acts are a
sin
“You shall not lie with a male as you lie with a female. It is an abomination”Slide12
Jewish Attitudes to
Homosexuality
Orthodox Jews
– homosexual activity is wrong but orientation is not:
Torah
condemns homosexuality
Torah and Talmud
– marriage between man and woman is only lawful form of sex
Primary aim of sex is to have children
Mitzvot
– Jewish adults should marry and have a
family
“You shall not lie with a male as you lie with a female. It is an abomination”
Liberal/Reform Jews
– homosexuality acceptable but heterosexual marriage is ideal:
Torah needs reinterpreting in modern ageScientists believe homosexuality is genetic – must be God-givenRabbis teach Jews to treat others how they would want to be treatedHomophobia as bad a
racism
“Love thy neighbour
”
“We are all made in the image of God
”Slide13
Christian Attitudes to
Contraception
Catholic
– No – Believe in natural family planning
Successive Popes
have condemned it
Contraception
separates unitive and creative aspects of sex
Some contraceptives have
abortifacient
effects
Contraception is a cause of
sexual promiscuity, broken families, divorce and STIs
Non-Catholic -
OK if used to restrict size of family
Christianity about love and justice – contraception improves women’s health and raises standard of livingGod created sex for enjoyment and to strengthen marital bondsBible does not forbid itChurch of
England and Protestant
Churches accept it
Better to use contraception to
combat AIDS/HIV Slide14
Jewish
Attitudes to
Contraception
Ultra-Orthodox
– no
God commanded people to
“Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth”
Torah
– God regards male sperm as sacredMany
Rabbis
– God created
sex primarily for procreation
Orthodox
– OK for women to use female contraceptives after 2 children:Torah, Talmud and Rabbis – health of mother comes firstFemale contraceptives don’t kill male seedDon’t need more than 2 children to
carry on faithLiberal/Reform – individuals can make up their own minds:God expects people to use technology and intelligenceTorah’s teachings on male sperm need updating
Better to use contraception than bring
unwanted children
into the world.