Issues of Relationships Flashcards
What are the features + purposes of an Orthodox wedding ceremony?
- Crowning of the bride and groom: king and queen, reign over future family (children)
- Drink from the same cup: companionship
- Each receive a lit candle: God is present
- Put rings on each other’s fingers 3 times: companionship
- Rituals repeated 3 times: trinity, shows love in front of God
- Jesus “I am the light of the world”
What are 4 features + purposes of the Anglican wedding ceremony?
- Vows: better of for worse, in sickness and in health, til death do us part: companionship
- Vicar sets purposes of marriage in his opening speech: “be fruitful and increase”, “may be blessed in having children”
- “What God has joined, man must not separate: God is present”
- “Vicar blesses the marriage: God is present”
- “We are gathered here today in the presence of God”: opening speech, God is present
- Vicar binds hands together: companionship
What are purposes of marriage that are supported by the Anglican church?
Having children
Unconditional love for one another
Safe place for sex
Building block of the community
Support and comfort for each other
How does the marriage service show that marriage is a safe place for sex?
- “Go forth and multiply”, “two become one flesh”
- Service “With my body, I honour you”
How does the marriage service show that a purpose of marriage is to raise children as Christian
“Children are not lacking”, “go forth and multiply”
Service, “bring up children in accordance of God’s will”
How does the marriage service show that marriage is to confirm love in front of God?
- Orthodox, light candles, circle table 3 times for Trinity, exchange rings 3 times. tie crowns together
- “What God has joined, man must not separate”
- Anglican, “we are gathered here today in the presence of God”
- Service “to love each other for the rest of our lives and be there for each other”
- “To have and to hold”, tie hands together
- “Till death do us part”
Why would some people argue that cohabitation is better than marriage?
- Divorce is very expensive, rate of divorces in England is increasing
- Can show commitment in other ways (ie have children)
Why would some people argue marriage is better than cohabitation?
- Legal contract, gives security
- Public occasion, receives support of the community
- Blessed by God (Christians)
What are biblical passages which support marriage?
- “What God has joined, man must not separate”
- Jesus: “A man leaves his mother and father, joins with his wife, and the two become one flesh”
- St Paul: “Husbands love your wife’s as Christ loved the church”
- Proverbs “Who can find a good wife, her worth is far beyond red coral, her husband’s whole trust is in her”
When can interfaith marriage come into conflict?
- Celebrations of festivals: Christmas or Wesak
- Which beliefs children should follow: Samsara/karma + Nirvana or Heaven and Hell
- Ethical views: Buddhist who follows first precept (do not harm living beings) or Christian who follows dominionship
- Practices: going to the temple to chant/meditate or church for Holy Communion
Why do Catholics disagree with divorce or remarriage but allow annulment and separation?
- Jesus, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her”
- Jesus, “What God has joined man must not separate”
- Marriage is a sacrament- sacred ceremony where God is present
- Goes against wedding vows “Til death do us part”
What are the 7 sacraments? (Orthodox and Catholic)
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- Eucharist/Mass (weekly)
- Penance
- Holy orders (priesthood etc)
- Marriage
- Anointing of the sick
What are the 2 Sacraments of the Anglican Church?
- Baptism
- Eucharist
Why do Liberal Christians allow divorce and remarriage?
- Jesus, “whoever divorces his wife and marries another, except for marital unfaithfulness, commits adultery against her” (allows for unfaithfulness”
- Jesus, “treat others how you would like to be treated”
- Church statements: Anglican church said in sad and painful circumstances, Divorce may be the most loving thing
- Jesus, “Forgive 70 x 7”
- Jesus, “Forgive them father, for they know not what they do”
Why do Evangelical Christians disagree with sex before marriage?
- St Paul, “The sexually immoral will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven”
- St Paul, “If the married cannot control themselves, then they should be married”
- Jesus, “A man will leave his mother and father, join with his wife and the two become one flesh” (marriage first, then have sex)
Why do Catholic Christians disagree with sex before marriage?
- St Paul, “The sexually immoral will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven”
- St Paul, “If the married cannot control themselves, then they should be married”
- “Outside of marriage, it constitutes a grave sin”, Pope
- “With my body I honour you”, vow= meant for marital partner
Why do Liberal Christians allow sex in a cohabiting relationship planning to marry?
- Bible needs to be updated to today’s society
- Bible celebrates sex (Song of Solomon)
- Church statements: recognise sex before marriage is allowed in committed, cohabiting relationships
- May be most loving thing to do (“love your neighbour”
- Children are not the only purpose of sex
Why do all Christians agree adultery is wrong?
- Goes against the 10 commandments
- Breaks the marriage vow “to be faithful”
Why do Evangelicals disagree with homosexual feelings and acts?
- Leviticus, “Do not lie with a man as you lie with a woman. That is detestable”
- God made Adam and Eve and said, “be fruitful and increase”
- St Paul, “Neither the sexually immoral…nor men who practice homosexuality… will enter the kingdom of heaven”
Why do Catholics allow Homosexual feelings but not acts?
- Leviticus, “Do not lie with a man as you lie with a woman. That is detestable”
- God made Adam and Eve and said, “be fruitful and increase”
- St Paul, “Neither the sexually immoral…nor men who practice homosexuality… will enter the kingdom of heaven”
- 5 Primary precepts: one is to reproduce-> Natural Moral Law
Why do Liberal Christians support Homosexual acts, feelings and marriage?
- Jesus, “love your neighbour” (most loving thing to do)
- God created everybody with their sexuality, “God created man in his own image”
- Jesus never condemned it
- Bible needs to be updated towards today’s society, society now allows homosexual marriage
- Treat others as you would like to be treated
Why do Evangelicals believe that Women should have no role in church?
- Disciples were all men
- Eve was created 2nd, Eve sinned first
- “women should be silent” (in church), St Paul
- “A woman should not have authority over a man”
Why will Catholic Christians allow women to have a role in church but not become a priest?
- Priest represents Jesus, so must be a man
- Jesus’ disciples were all men
- Motherhood is ideal for a woman not being a priest, example of Virgin Mary
- St Paul, women should not have authority over men and should submit to their husbands”
Why do Liberal Christians allow women to have a role in church and become Vicars/Ministers?
- Jesus had female followers, as well as male (ie Mary Magdalene)
- Jesus himself broke the tradition to teach women (ie story of Marry and Marta), so was willing to raise the status of women
- Women were first to believe Jesus had risen, disciples doubted it
- St Paul, “There is neither male nor female, for we are all one in faith in Jesus Christ”
Why do Catholic Christians accept the use of natural family planning but not contraception?
- Every sexual act should be open to having children. If not, it breaks the Primary precepts (one is to reproduce)
- God tells Adam and Eve to “be fruitful”
- Some contraceptive methods are early abortive, which is seen as killing-> preserves the lives of the innocent
- Bible “like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth” (children are like a blessing)
- Natural Moral Law: purpose of sex is to reproduce, goes against God’s will
- “Condemned is any act which specifically prevents procreation”, Pope
Why do Liberal Christians accept the use of artificial contraception?
- Jesus, “love thy neighbour” (most loving thing to do), 1930’s depression-> people couldn’t afford huge families, had to live in poverty AND stops the spread of STI’s
- Situation ethics: some cannot afford more children
- Jesus never condemns it
- Lesser of 2 evils-> greater evil is to withhold compassion, some couples aren’t ready
- Update the bible to today’s society, contraception is widely used
- Jesus, “Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself”
Why is family important in Christianity?
- Basic unit of society, teaches right from wrong to children
- God wanted families- “be fruitful”
- 10 commandments “honour your mother and father”
- Helps Christianity to grow
What are the roles of family members in Christianity?
- Children should honour their parents (ie care for them when elderly), JESUS asked disciples to look after Mary when he was dying on the cross
- Parents should bring up their children in a Christian way-> in Baptism vows, (ie read Bible to them, take them to Church and Sunday School, teach Christian values)
- Parents should treat their children with respect-> Old Testament “do not treat them in a way that makes them angry”
What are some problems that might arise with interfaith marriage?
- Which marriage service to have
- Which religion to bring children up in
- Will they be accepted in their spouses religious community
- Which festivals to celebrate
- May have to convert to the religion of their spouse
- Conflicts in belief, ie Ethical issues
- Whether to follow dietary restriction (ie Jews= Kosher etc)
What are some teachings about family for Buddhists?
- Place where the Dharma can be passed on (metta and karuna), no requirement for parents to be married
- Shrines at home to help teach about the Dharma
- Practice meditation together as a family
- Sangha, part of the family-> children give offerings to monks to help with dana
- Buddha, Sigalovada Sutta-> Children should support their parents in old age, do as they are asked, honour deceased parents, keep family traditions
- Parents should keep their children away from evil, encourage good action, provide good education, provide inheritance when they need it
What are the features of a Humanist wedding?
- No legal contract
- Organised by a celebrant
- Takes place anywhere that is registered for marriages
- Couples decide on the service
- Couples make their own vows
- No religious reading/hymns
- Couples choose their own readings/hymns
- Symbolic gestures-> cutting through large heart, candles
What are the main quotes for relationships?
- “Love thy neighbour”
- Agape (highest form of love)
- “Love one another as I have loved you”
- “Sexually immoral, nor homosexuals will enter the kingdom of heaven”
- “Be fruitful and increase”
- “A man leaves his mother and father, joins with his wife and the 2 become 1 flesh”
- “Til death do us part”
- “What God has joined man must not separate”
- Natural Moral Law: Reproduction, to worship God
- “Go forth and multiply”- God to Adam and Eve
What is Gender Equality?
People of all genders enjoying the same rights and opportunities in all aspects of life
What are the benefits of interfaith marriages?
- Children get to experience 2 religions-> more choice in beliefs
- Encourages tolerance: despite differences, there are similarities ie loving kindness
- Celebrate more festivals, more fun for children
