Relationships And Famalies

Question 1

What is human sexuality

Answer 1

How humans express themselves as sexual beings
Muslims and Christians regard heterosexual relationships as natural + part of Gods plan for humanity
Some Christians and most Muslims think homosexual relationships are against Gods will

Question 2

Christian and Islam views on heterosexual relationships

Answer 2

Christian
- marriage us the only valid place for heterosexual relationships because it is part of God’s plan for humans
Muslim
- Heterosexual relationships are the normal pattern of behaviour - expected to marry and have a family

Question 3

Homosexual relationships views

Answer 3

Christianity

• Bible says sex between two men is forbidden in Leviticus 18:22
• “men who have sex with men” will not inherit the kingdom of God - Corinthians 6:9
• Catholic Church teaches homosexuals are not sinful but should remain chaste to avoid sinful acts
• Church of England welcomes homosexuals in committed relationships but does not allow their marriage in church

Muslim

• Most Muslims believe that the Qur’an teaches homosexuality is against Gods will and is forbidden
• Muslims and Christians agree homosexuality is against the natural law as they cannot produce children so isn’t what God intended
• Many Muslims believe homosexuals should control their actions and not break God’s law or they will have to answer God on Judgment day
• Some Muslims and Christians are more liberal and accept loving and committed homosexual relationships

Question 4

Sexual relationships before marriage

Answer 4

Christian

• Sex expresses a deep, life long union that requires the commitment of marriage
• Anglican/ Catholic Churches teaches sex before marriage is wrong
• In Britain sex before marriage is widely excepted by many religious and non religious people
• Some liberal Christians believe sex before marriage can be a valid expression of love for each other particularly if the couple are intending marriage

Muslim

• Sex is a gift from God that should be managed responsibly within a marriage
• The Qur’an forbids sex before marriage
• Under Shari’ah law sex before marriage is considered a serious sin
• Both Islam and Christianity teaches sex before marriage is wrong

Question 5

Sexual relationships outside of marriage

Answer 5

Christian

• Adultery breaks vows Christian couples make before God and threatens the stable relationship needed for their children’s security
• It is against the Ten Commandments
• It is against Jesus’ teachings that lust which can lead to adultery is wrong
• Jesus forgave a woman caught in adultery but ordered her to leave a life of sin.

Muslim view

• Muslims should avoid situations which can lead to sexual sins
• The Qur’an forbids adultery
• Married couples should not have to go outside of marriage for fulfilment

Question 6

Christian attitudes to contraception and family planning

Answer 6

• In Britain contraception is widely accepted to help family planning, prevent unwanted pregnancies, reduce global overpopulation, prevent spread of STDs
• Most Christian couples accept family planning but not avoiding having children altogether

Catholic

• Artificial contraception goes against natural law/ purpose of marriage
• Contraception can encourage selfishness and infidelity
• The purposes of sex is having children and expressing love should not be separated
• The Orthodox Church agrees but recognises individuals’ needs
• Catholic Church promotes Rhythm method/ avoiding sex at fertile times of the month
• Orthodox Church promotes non abortive forms of contraception only

Anglican and non-conformist

• People should try to have as many children as they can care for
• Allow contraception to enable couples to develop relationship first/ space out pregnancies to avoid harming mothers health
• Anglican Lambeth Conference approved artificial contraception used “in the light of Christian principles”
• Preference non abortive forms of contraception

Question 7

Muslim attitudes towards contraception and family planning

Answer 7

• Contraception is not for unmarried people but may be used for family planning
• Artificial contraception is fine as long as it doesn’t cause an abortion or prevent children altogether

For use of contraception
-No direct teaching but the idea that “God wishes to lighten your burden; man was created weak” shows God doesn’t want to make life difficult for people so would accept contraception

Against

• Contraception goes against God’s will and God gives people strength to cope with any children
• “Do not kill your children for fear of poverty- we shall provide for them and you”
• Shows opposition to contraception causing abortions but also shows God provides strength to cope with anything including financial problems

Question 8

Marriage - nature and purpose

Answer 8

• Marriage is a legal union between a man or a woman, or two people of the same sex in some countries, including the UK, as partners in a relationship

Christian beliefs

• Marriage is a gift from god at creation/ part of the natural law
• It is a sacrament/ life long union blessed by God which reflects the sacrificial love of Jesus
• It is a covenant (agreement) before God in which the couple promises to live faithfully until death
• It is a spiritual bond of trust that reflects the love of Christ for the Church

Muslim beliefs

• Marriage is a faithful, lifelong commitment, intended by God for the sharing of love and companionship
• It is an equal partnership under God
• It is a social contract that brings two families together, impacting the whole community
• It helps people develop spiritually by avoiding sexual sin and by adding value to worship
• According to the Qur’an husbands and wives are like garments of each other, meaning they should support and care for each other
• In Islam marriages can be arranged where parents help to find a suitable partner but young people have the right to refuse
• Forces marriages are not allowed
• A Muslim woman must marry a Muslim
• A Muslim man can marry a Jew, Christian or Muslim
• The purpose of marriage is to provide a stable, secure environment for family life
• Both Muslims and Christians believe marriage is the proper place to enjoy sex, raise children in a religious faith and provide lifelong support and companionship for a partner

Question 9

Cohabitation and same sex marriage

Answer 9

• A civil partnership is a legal union of same sex couples (2004)
• Same sex marriage is marriage between partners of the same sex
• Cohabitation is a couple living together and having a sexual relationship without being married
• Catholic and Orthodox churches and Islam
  oppose cohabitation as they believe sex should only take place within a marriage
• Many Anglican and Protestant Christians accept that although marriage is best, people may cohabit in a faithful, loving and committed way without being marries
• Islam forbids homosexual relationships
• Many Muslims opposed the law which made same sex marriage legal
• Many Christians were also opposed to legalising same-sex marriage because it seemed to be changing the nature of marriage
• The law protects Churches that oppose homosexual marriage and they are not forced to conduct same sex marriages against their beliefs

Question 10

Divorce and remarriage

Answer 10

Divorce

• legal ending of a marriage
• reasons fir divorce can be adultery, domestic abuse, addiction, illness, work/financial pressures, inability to have children, falling out of love, etc.

Remarriage
- when someone marries again

Religion tries to balance ethical arguments between the sanctity of marriage vows made before God and compassion for people whose marriage has broken down

Question 11

Christian teachings on divorce and remarriage

Answer 11

• Christian clergy offer counselling, prayer and sacraments or may refer couples to outside agencies in cases of marriage breakdown
• Jesus taught anyone who divorces and remarries was committing adultery
• Vows made in Gods presence must be kept
• Catholic Church teaches that marriage is a sacrament and is permanent and cannot be dissolved by two baptised people by civil divorce
• Catholics can separate but not remarry while their partner is still alive or they can obtain a an annulment if it was never a true marriage
• Other Christians believe divorce can be the lesser of two evils in some cases and hence, the church should reflect god’s forgiveness and allow couples a second chance for forgiveness
• Most Anglican, Protestant and Orthodox Churches allow divorce and remarriage in church as long as people take their vows seriously

Question 12

Muslim teachings on divorce and remarriage

Answer 12

• The Qur’an encourages people to try and reconcile their differences by allowing a member of each partners family to help bring them back together, if God wills (Qur’an 4:35)
• The Qur’an guarantees rights of both men and women to divorce
• Divorce is ‘hateful to Allah”
• For a religious divorce, the husband must declare it to his wife verbally or in writing, followed by a three moth waiting period called iddah to see weather his wife is pregnant. If she is they must wait until the baby is born
• A wife can apply for divorce but if her husband is not at fault he does not have to support her and she must repay her marriage gift
• The husband must support the children in all cases
• Legally, Muslims in the UK must require a British civil divorce
• Religious divorces are granted through the Muslim law —> Shari’ah law council
• After a divorce Muslims can remarry and it is considered beneficial to do so if there are children

Question 13

The nature of family

Answer 13

Nuclear family- a couple and their children
Step family - formed on the remarriage of a divorced or widowed person that includes children
Extended family - includes grandparents/ other relatives beyond just parents and children
Same sex parents - people of the same sex raising children together

Question 14

The role of parents and children

Answer 14

Christian

• Christian parents raise their children in Christian faith, teaching them to pray
• Some parents send their children to religious schools and teach them traditions of their family
• They teach them right from wrong and pass on values such as generosity, compassion and tolerance, enabling them to form loving relationships

Muslim

• Muslim parents bring children up in faith of Islam
• Teach them how to pray, keep halal food laws, live a good Muslim life
• They support children in finding a suitable marriage partner
• They also send children to a madrassah (mosque school) to learn how to read the Qur’an in Arabic

Both Christian and Muslim children are expected to respect and obey their parents and care for them when they’re old

Question 15

Religious beliefs on the nature of families

Answer 15

Christian

• In biblical times people lived in extended families through which the religion, customs and traditions were passed onto the next generation
• Christians must “love one another”. It is in the family a child learns how to love
• The commandment “honour your father and mother” is important, particularly when parents are elderly and need support

Islam

• The extended family is the basis of Islamic society, part of God’s plan for humanity
• The family shapes the moral values and character of children
• Muslims care for elderly parents with kindness and respect because they did the same for them when they were young (Qur’an 17:23)

Question 16

Polygamy

Answer 16

• There are examples of polygamy (having more than one wife at the same time) in the Bible but Christians believe one man and one woman for life was created at the beginning
• Islam allows polygamy with the consent of the 1st wife but only if the man is able to support, love and treat additional wives equally
• Polygamous marriages cannot be performed in Britain because bigamy is illegal (offence of marrying someone while already married to someone else)

Question 17

Same sex parents

Answer 17

• Some Christians believe that the ideal is for children to grown up with a male and female role model for parents
• Other Christians think it is more important for children to be in a secure, loving family regardless of the gender of their parents
• Muslims oppose same sex parents because they believe homosexuality is morally wrong so same sex parents would not provide a good example to children

Question 18

The purpose of families

Answer 18

• The family is the main building block of society where procreation takes place
• Happy, healthy families create stability, safety and security for their members and society
• An important purpose of family is the protection of children
• For both Muslims and Christians the purpose of family is educating their children in faith

Question 19

Christian beliefs on the purpose of families

Answer 19

• Family provides stability because its where people learn to live as part of a community
• Parents teach children right from wrong and how to get along with others
• Christians believe God reveals himself as Father with Jesus his son and humankind his children so the idea of family is very important
• The family reflects Christ’s relationship with the church

Question 20

Muslim beliefs about relationships in the family

Answer 20

• The Qur’an addresses married people as ‘guarded’ and ‘protected’ as if their relationship protects them from sin, loneliness and danger
• This protection is also offered to the extended family
• Muslims have a responsibility to care for their elderly parents so many have them living with them
• Most Muslims would not consider putting their parents in a care home but rather value their wisdom and experience and feel honoured to repay them for their love and support in life

Question 21

Christian beliefs about children in families

Answer 21

• Parents and children have responsibilities to each other
• Children have duty to obey, love and respect their parents for their care
• Children are gifts from God so much respect their dignity
• Christian parents are expected to be good role models, teach children their faith, pray with them, teach them moral values and nurture their spiritual lives
• Some Christians send children to faith schools or groups run by their church or religious education

Question 22

Muslim beliefs about children in families

Answer 22

• Children have a duty to respect their families, even in adulthood
• The Qur’an teaches that being unkind or disrespectful to ones parents is a great sin
• Children are a blessing from God
• Parents have a duty to provide a stable environment and raise their children to be good Muslims
• Some Muslims send children to faith schools run by their mosque for religious education

Question 23

Religious attitudes to gender equality

Answer 23

Gender equality- men and women should be given the same rights and opportunities as each other
Gender prejudice - unfairly judging someone before facts are known; holding biased opinions about people based on their gender
Sexual stereotyping - means having a fixed idea of how men and women will behave
Gender discrimination - acting against someone on the basis of their gender; usually seen as Wong and may be against the law

Question 24

Gender equality in Britain

Answer 24

• In the past, men held more positions of power and had more rights than women
• Traditional roles saw men working to support the family, while women cared for the home and raised children
• The Sex Discrimination Act (1975) made gender discrimination illegal but examples still exist eg. Gender pay gaps
• Roles are changing as more women work and housework/ childcare is shared

Question 25

Christian beliefs on gender inequality

Answer 25

• All people created equal in the eyes of God (Genesis 1:27)
• Jesus respected women, welcomed them as disciples and showed they were capable of more than just domestic tasks (Luke 20:38)
• The command to love ones neighbour means that discrimination is wrong
• Paul taught that all people are equal (Galantians 3:28)
• Some traditional Christians interpret Bible texts literally and think husbands should rule over their wives (Genesis 3:28) and that women should mainly stay at home and care for children
• Most Christians today see marriage as an equal partnership

Question 26

Muslim attitudes to gender equality

Answer 26

• God created all people equal from a single soul with the same spiritual human nature
• Muhammad worked to unite the tribes in Madinah into one community (Ummah) under God with equality and justice for all
• Men and women have the same religious and moral responsibilities and will be rewarded by god for their good deeds
• Islamic law recognises the full property rights of women before and after marriage. A wife can keep her maiden name and be financially supported

Question 27

Gender prejudice and discrimination

Answer 27

• Today Christians would oppose all forms of prejudice and discrimination although some would argue it still exists within the Christian church
• Some Muslim women suffer prejudice and discrimination over issues such as wearing the veil, girls’ education, employment or freedom to drive or vote in some countries
• This may be due to different cultural practices rather then because of teachings in the Qur’an
• In Britain other examples of gender prejudice and discrimination includes sexual harassment in the workplace, women being asked unfair questions in job interviews, top women earning less than top men in sport