Marriage and the family Flashcards
Reasons for the change: Cohabitation and Marriage
The increased availability of contraception made it safer to have sex without becoming pregnant.
Christianity lost its influence as fewer people went to church and so were not encouraged to refrain from sex until they were married.
There was increased media publicity of celebrities, which made living together before marriage appear respectable and led to it becoming more popular,
The presentation on Television and in films of sex outside of marriage as the norm led to more people regarding it as acceptable.
Reasons for the change: Divorce
In 1969, new laws made divorce much cheaper and easier to obtain for ordinary people. This led to a huge increase in the number of divorces.
Expectations of what marriage should be like have changed greatly. Increased equality for women means that women are no longer prepared to accept unequal treatment from men. Women expect to have as good a life as their husbands and if their husbands treat them badly, they will divorce them.
Nowadays, many women are financially independent from their husbands and can afford to live after a divorce.
There have also been a great change in how long people are likely to be married. A hundred year ago, many men could expect to have more than one wife because so many women died in childbirth. Most divorces occur after ten years of marriage, which was the average length of marriage 100 years ago.
Reasons for the change: Family Life
The increase in number of cohabiting couples means that there are now families where the parents are not married.
The increase in divorce has led to an increase in re-marriage.
The extended family is becoming more popular as more mothers are paid in employment and use retired grandparents or non-working close relatives to look after the children.
The increase in number of divorces has led to an increase in single-parent families.
Reasons for the Change: Homosexuality
The various changes in the law on homosexuality have made it easier to be openly homosexual and made society more aware and accepting of homosexuality.
The increased number of gay celebrities has led to a greater acceptance of all gay people.
The work of organisations such as Stonewall changed many people’s attitudes and led to a greater acceptance of equal rights for homosexuals.
Christian attitudes towards sex outside of marriage.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that pre-marital sex is wrong and Catholics are encouraged to follow the teachings of the Church.
All Christians are against adultery because it breaks the wedding vows to be faithful to each other.
They are also against adultery because it is condemned in the Decalogue, which all Christians should follow.
Adultery is condemned by Jesus in the Gospels and all Christians should follow the teachings of Jesus.
How the purpose of marriage are shown in the wedding ceremony.
The exchange of vows where the couple promise to be faithful to each other until death.
The Bible readings and homily on the nature of Christian marriage as a life-long relationship of love and faithfulness.
How the purpose of marriage are shown in the having the support and comfort of each other.
A preparation course before the wedding ceremony takes place which helps the couple to understand of Catholic marriage and how to provide support and comfort for each other.
The priest asking the couple before the marriage vows if they will love and support each other.
How the purpose of marriage is shown in the procreation of children.
The priest asking the couple if they will accept children from God lovingly.
The readings, homily and prayers all refer to the acceptance of children as a key part of Catholic marriage.
How the purpose of marriage is shown in the bringing up of a Catholic Family,
The preparation course, which involves discussion about how the couple should bring up their children (baptism, first confession, communion and Catholic schooling).
The priest asking the couple if they will accept children and bring them up according to the laws of Christ and his Church.
Catholic attitudes to divorce.
There can be no re-marriage as there can be no religious divorce, and it would be both bigamy (having two husbands) and adultery.
Jesus taught that divorce is wrong and Christians should follow his teachings.
The couple have made a covenant with God which cannot be broken by any earthly power.
The Catechism teaches that a marriage cannot be dissolved and so religious divorce is impossible.
Other Christians attitudes to divorce.
These Churches believe it Is better to divorce than to live in hatred and quarrel all of the time.
Jesus allowed divorce in Matthew 19:9 for a partner’s adultery.
If a marriage has really broken down then the effects of the couple not divorcing would be a greater evil than the evil of divorce itself.
If Christians repent and confess their sins they can be forgiven. This means a couple should have another chance at marriage if they are keen to make it work this time.
Why family life is important for Catholics.
The family is the place where children are introduced to the faith through baptism and then through being taken to church for Mass. This means that the family is very important for Christianity to continue and grow.
Having a family is an expected outcome of Catholic marriage.
The family is the place where children learn the difference between right and wrong, so without the family there would be much more evil in the world.
Christian children are expected to take care of their parents when they are no longer capable of caring for themselves. This is based on the fourth commandment (respect your elders) and the teachings of Jesus.
Why Catholic Parishes help with the upbringing of Catholics.
Most parishes have a local Catholic primary and secondary schools connected to them. These provide Catholic education and worship in addition to the standard education. This education helps parents, because it teaches children right from wrong and helps parents to fulfil their marriage and baptism promises to bring up their children as Catholics.
Parishes run classes to prepare children for First Confession, Communion and Conformation. These parents with the Catholic upbringing of their children, as they bring children full membership of the Church.
Some parishes run children’s liturgies to help young children understand the Church and the Mass, and to allow parents to be at Sunday Worship. This helps parents to bring their children up as good Catholics and gives parents and their children the spiritual strength of the mass.
Some parishes also run youth clubs and youth activities so that children are kept off the streets and away from bad influences. Again this helps parents to bring up their children as good Catholics.
How Catholic parishes help to keep families together.
During Mass the priest may remind parents of the vows they made at their marriage ceremony and also of reasons not to divorce.
The parish priest is always available to give help and advice to couples having family problems.
Many parishes also provide financial support if for example, the family wage earner is ill, and they also have links to Catholic charities such as Catholic Marriage Care.]
The Church also has a national programme of support for marriage and family life. The marriage and family life office provides support, resources and advice to parishes to respond to the needs of families.
Catholic attitude towards homosexuality.
The Bible condemns homosexual activity.
The Bible teaches that everyone has human dignity because they are made in the image of God.
It is the teaching of the Magisterium found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which Catholics should believe.
The Church does not refer to ‘heterosexual’ or ‘homosexual’ alone, but speaks about homosexual persons whose identity is a child of God.
