Re year 12 Ethics Flashcards
- What does the term homosexuality mean? (1)
A relationship where two men are attracted to each other or two women are attracted to each other.
- “A sexual relationship should only take place between a husband and wife.”
Do you agree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer showing that you have considered different points of view. (10) (2012)
Agree:
- Biblical and Church teaching emphasises that a sexual relationship should not take place until a couple are married
- The Bible also teaches that a married couple are to remain faithful to each other “Do not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14)
- Pre-marital sex can lead to many problems for the individual and society, such as on increase in STIs, unwanted pregnancy and an increase in the abortion rate
- A sexual relationship needs a deep level of understanding and commitment between a couple and this can only come from marriage.
Disagree:
- Many people nowadays choose not to get married, but to live together as man and wife; they do not need a wedding ceremony to have a committed relationship
- Nowadays many people delay marriage to pursue their career and may have a number of close relationships before finally marrying
- Some couples choose to live together as a “trial marriage” before making a final commitment
- Nowadays, it is more common for couples of the same sex to live together and they have a sexual relationship without being husband and wife.
Accept valid alternatives
- What is a “civil partnership”? (1) (2011)
- An official recognition that a same-sex couple are partners
- Outline the Christian teaching on marriage. (5) (2012)
· marriage is sacred and ordained by God; Jesus taught “The two will become one” (Mark 10:8) repeating God’s words from Genesis
- Marriage is a commitment and the couple should stay together no matter what happens; Jesus spoke against divorce (Matthew 5:32)
- Marriage should be permanent and last a lifetime; Jesus taught “Man must not separate what God has joined together” (Mark 10:9)
- Paul taught that wives are to submit to their husbands, who are to love their wives as much as Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:22–25).
Accept valid alternatives
- Explain how vows taken in a Christian marriage service can help a couple in their married life. (5) (2013)
· “To have and to hold from this day forward.” – this makes clear that marriage is intended for life. They should be there for each other
· “For better for worse, for richer or poorer.” – it is evident that the couple will face trials and difficulties during their married life though if they support each other and rely on God then they will succeed. Therefore: redundancy, unemployment, low-pay: financial problems should not be allowed to stand in the way of their love for each other.
· “In sickness and in health” – they should be there for each other despite the most challenging times of sickness and the stress that that brings – this is a reassuring commitment of love and endurance.
· For the couple this is a complete reminder and the love they have pledged to each other, sealed in the eyes of God. They can think back at these moments when times are hard and be reassured in hope and trust.
- “The Christian idea of marriage is no longer possible.”
Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer. (10) (2013)
Agree:
· The evidence of divorce statistics (one in 3 marriages end in divorce in the UK) would indicate that marriage is for many people simply too difficult to keep
· The increasing commonality of people choosing to live together rather than get married would indicate that the state of marriage is no longer popular – people want less commitment and more flexibility
· Many might feel that the expectations of marriage for life is unrealistic given the pressures of modern life – women might feel that since they have greater financial freedom, they do not want to be committed to someone until death.
On the other hand:
· There are couples who do stay together for life and intend to keep the commitments of their vows to each other
· Just because as a society, we are unable to meet the commitment of marriage – this does not mean that it isn’t a good aspiration to aim for.
· Relationships are hard – they require compromise and effort – this is the nature of a marriage commitment – and worth the reward.
- Give one quality a Christian might look for in a marriage partner. (1) (2011)
§ shared faith
§ Shared religious values.
- Why might a couple exchange rings during a wedding ceremony? (1) (2011)
- A symbol of never ending love
- Exclusive commitment; a never ending bond.
- State two purposes of marriage given in a Christian wedding ceremony. (2)
- companionship
- sexual intercourse
- to have children
- Explain why a Christian couple would decide not to have sex until they are married. (5) (2011)
- The Bible teaches that sex should take place within marriage – (Genesis 2:24)
- Waiting until marriage for sex avoids the risk of an unwanted pregnancy or STI
- People can become emotionally hurt by having sex in a relationship which is not a life-long commitment.
Accept valid alternatives
- “Roman Catholic priests should be allowed to get married.”
Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer. (5) (2011)
Agree:
- There is a decline in the number of young men who want to become priests; they may be deterred by the commitment of celibacy
- being married would give priests better experience of the difficulties of marriage and family life
- Protestant churches allow clergy to marry and they are still respected.
Disagree:
- To be a priest is a very special calling from God; being celibate sets a priest apart from the rest of the community
- being celibate shows that a priest is really committed to the priesthood
- A celibate priest is able to devote more of his time and energy to his parish; he does not have the divided loyalties of a wife and family.
Accept valid alternatives
- “The Christian teaching that marriage is for life is outdated.”
Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer. (10) (2010)
Agree:
- People live longer nowadays, so marriage for life is not as realistic as it was in the past.
- Pressures of everyday living may put too much strain on the marriage – debt, unemployment, or bereavement for example.
- Some people may simply ‘fall out of love’ or meet someone else.
- The media and society place a lot of pressure on marriages as divorce may be seen as acceptable, or even inevitable.
Disagree:
- Marriage is a commitment; with effort put into a relationship there is no reason why it should not be lifelong
- If the couple have realistic expectations of the relationship and of each other, there is no reason why it should not last.
- The Bible teaches that marriage should be permanent; this teaching should be taken seriously by Christian couples.
- Many marriages are long-lasting and successful; we should focus on these rather than the divorce statistics.
Accept valid alternatives
- Describe some of the reasons why many couples today choose to live together rather than get married. (5) (2010)
- They may have been put off by a bad experience of marriage in the past.
- They do not want to make a commitment, or do not feel ready to do so.
- Nowadays, there are no financial incentives to marry (the government recognises ‘common law’ relationships for tax or benefits).
- The couple cannot afford to get married.
- Perhaps legally they cannot marry (one of them is already married; same sex relationship)
Accept valid alternatives
- Outline Christian teaching on divorce. (5) (2013)
_ the Bible teaches that marriage is sacred and is intended to be life-long: “A man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. What God has joined together, let no man separate.”
- Whilst the law was given by Moses to allow divorce – it was only because of the people’s “hard heartedness”
- The prophet Malachi declared that God “hates divorce” – the context was largely because many people were mistreating the law and divorcing for no good reason, thus devaluing marriage
- the only grounds for divorce stipulated in the Bible is adultery.
- Why do so many marriages end in divorce? (5) (2011)
- Pressures of modern living – debt, depression, unemployment – can weaken the marriage bond
- Health problems, infertility and sexual problems can cause some marriages to fail
- Adultery; lack of commitment to one person for life
- Alcohol and drug abuse; gambling
- Domestic violence
- Unrealistic expectations about being married
- Couples marrying too young or for the wrong reasons (e.g. unplanned pregnancy).
Accept valid alternatives
- Explain how divorce affects all members of the family. (5) (2011)
- The couple themselves – one or both partners may experience depression, financial insecurity, awkwardness with shared friends or limited contact with their children
- The children – loss of contact with a parent, less money in the family, a lone parent who has to work longer hours, possible separation from a sibling, feelings of guilt
- The grandparents – feelings of resentment towards former son/daughter-in-law, possible separation from grandchildren, blaming themselves for not doing more to help
- Some may focus on more positive aspects of divorce, referring to situations where family members were suffering prior to the divorce.
- “If a couple have a strong Christian faith their marriage is less likely to fail.”
Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer. (10) (2011)
Agree:
- Those with a strong religious faith are more likely to have shared beliefs and values
- They will take biblical teaching on the permanency of marriage more seriously; marriage is a commitment and the couple should stay together no matter what happens; Jesus spoke against divorce (Matthew 5:32)
- They have the support of the Christian community if their marriage is in difficulties, e.g. prayer support, financial support
- Many churches encourage attendance at marriage preparation classes to ensure that potential problems might be discovered before getting married.
MARKS
Disagree:
- A marriage can fail for many different reasons and there is no guarantee that a strong Christian faith will help a couple stay together
- There is a growing acceptance of divorce, even among Christians
- Nowadays many churches recognise that an unhappy marriage should end; some will allow divorcees to remarry in church.
Accept valid alternatives
