Christianity Chapter 2 : Marriage and The Family - 2.1 Marriage Flashcards
What is marriage?
Marriage is a lifelong union of two people that can only be ended by the death of one partner, by divorce, or by annulment.
Why is marriage important in society?
- it structures society into family groups which
can form the basis of culture and community - it encourages stability and provides a secure
environment for bringing up children - It provides legal protection for both partners
and their children. - it nurtures feelings of self-esteem and value
- it has value both for religious and non-religious
people.
What do Christians believe about marriage?
- Christians believe in the sanctity of marriage -
that marriage is a holy gift from God in which
partners make a commitment to each other to
live together in an exclusive loving relationship
until the death of one of them. - This is called faithfulness - promising to have
sexual relations only with the marriage partner. - For many Christians, for example Catholics,
marriage is also a sacrament, which is
a very important Christian ceremony officially
recognised by the Church as having been
established by Jesus. - Christians believe marriage is ordained by god
What is a biblical teaching about marriage?
“But at the beginning of creation God “made them male and female”. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together let no one separate. (Mark 10: 6-9)
Teachings:
- God intended from creation that men and
women should marry
- Marriage becomes the most important adult
relationship that the partners have. - Marriage creates a unity (‘one flesh’) which is
physical and emotional. - The couple are joined together by God and their
relationship should be respected by others.
Cohabitation definition
Cohabitation: living together in
a sexual relationship but without legalising the union through marriage
What are arguements for Cohabitation?
- it enables couples to get to know each other
properly before making the commitment of
marriage - if the relationship doesn’t work, they can
separate without the legal
consequences of divorce - Children can be brought up as successfully by a
cohabiting couple as by a married couple - marriage lacks importance: a couple can make a
loving personal commitment to each other
without going through a legal ceremony.
What are arguments against cohbitation?
- It can encourage a casual attitude towards
relationships - It is too easy to break up and so couples are not
encouraged to talk things through when times
get tough - Children are best brought up in a stable home
with two married parents - The Bible supports lifelong marriage.
What do non-religious people believe about marriage?
- Many non-religious people also believe that marriage can be a way of two people showing publicly their loving commitment to one another. However, they do not believe that it carries any religious significance.
- Because they do not believe marriage carries any religious significance, most atheists choose a civil ceremony conducted by a registrar (a person authorised by law to carry out legally binding ceremonies) in any place licensed for weddings.
- There is a specific Humanist wedding service, but at present Humanist marriage ceremonies are recognised only in law in Scotland, and not in the rest of the UK.
- However, Humanist couples may choose to have a legal marriage by a registrar as well as a Humanist celebration.
- Like Christians, many atheists and Humanists value faithfulness within their marriage, but there is no rule about this. The guiding Humanist principle is to do no harm to others, so each Humanist couple will work out what this means for them and how they wish to apply it to their own marriage.
