Relationships And Families

Question 1

Role and purpose of families

Answer 1

• God has provided families to develop loving and respectful relationships
• model family: mother father and children
• nurture, disciplining, respect, honour, hospitality
• should remain faithful to family

Question 2

Importance and purpose of marriage

Answer 2

• teaches marriage should be only between a man and a woman
• marriage should reflect Christ’s love for the church
• purpose: nurture children, sexual relations, help and comfort

Question 3

The different Christian marriage services

Answer 3

Catholic and orthodox marriage services:

• sacrament, indissoluble
• both baptised, 1 Catholic
• brings gods grace in unique way (helps to be faithful and good parents)

Church of England marriage services:

• adds a spiritual dimension to the marriage as God is included
• Bring a blessing into a couples life
• don’t have to be baptised or Christian

Non- conformist marriage services:

• Quaker stresses that the union is made between a couple and God
• can write their own vows emphasising what the couple issaying to God

Question 4

Same sex marriage

Answer 4

• became legal in England and Wales in March 2014 to convert civil partnerships to marriage
• both churches do not carry out same-sex marriages and vicars are not allowed to enter into same-sex marriages
• episcopal church allows same sex marriage

Question 5

Civil partnerships

Answer 5

• legal on the 21 December 2005

Question 6

Premarital sex and cohabitation

Answer 6

• many Christians believe it is wrong

- c of e except that cohabitation, for many people, is a step towards commitment

Question 7

Celibacy

Answer 7

• some Christians choose to remain unmarried and to abstain permanently from sex
• Catholic Church: priests, monks, nuns are required to be celibate
  “Neither the sexually immoral… Will inherit the kingdom of God”

Question 8

Contraception

Answer 8

Catholic Church teaches artificial contraception is sinful because God gave sex to humans for reproduction but it accepts natural forms of contraception

C of E teaches it is responsible to use contraception in order to ensure that children are planned and wanted

Question 9

Abstinence

Answer 9

No sex before marriage

Question 10

Divorced, annulment and remarriage

Answer 10

Catholic Church:

• teachers marriage is permanent and indissoluble and does not accept divorce because it is simply breaking the legal agreement but not the holy one made with God
• does not allow remarriage as it is adulterous
• except annulments if either person had been forced into the marriage without their consent and the individuals are free to marry someone

Church of England:
- believes couples should work hard keep their vowels but allows divorce and people are free to remarry someone else but if they want to remarry in a church then it is up to the parish priest