theme a: religion, relationships and families Flashcards
how do we know that women and men are equal?
‘God created humankind in his image…male and female he created them’
how do we know that men and women are supposed to procreate?
‘be fruitful and multiply’
how do we know that men and women complement eachother?
-in genesis 2 God takes adam (humanity) and splits it into two complementary parts
-this shows the idea of in equality between sexes, as men and women complement each other
-together each person is able to give the other what the other lacks, producing a harmony which isn’t possible in isolation
what are the three natures/purposes of sexual love?
-procreative
-unitive
-marital
sexual love as procreative
-through sex God creates new life
-catholic marriage ceremony contains the commitment to accept children lovingly from God
quote to present sexual love as procreative
every marriage act must remain open to the transmission of life’ (humana vitae 11)
sexual love as unitive
-sexual love expresses and deepens the couples love for each other
-adultery is forbidden because it destroys the unity of the married couple
quote to present sexual love as unitive
‘the two shall become one flesh’ (bible)
sexual love as marital
-sacrament of marriage lets two people in love commit themselves publicly and exclusively to each other
-the promises made before God in the catholic church include a commitment to be together for life
-after these promise, the commitment is consummated by sex
-for a marriage to be valid there has to be sexual intercourse
-sex before or outside marriage is not allowed
pope john paul Ils teachings about marital sex
-unites a couple in love
-shows commitment, mutual love and respect
-leads to greater intimacy
-gives the possibility of creating new life
-NFP
pope john paul Ils teachings about extramarital sex
-a form of exploitation for personal pleasure
-can make people selfish, caring only for themselves and not their marriage partner
-adultery breaks marriage vows and shows no commitment to a spouse
-is a sin and distorts God’s original plan for human beings
-can lead people to think of others as sex objects rather than individuals with dignity and value
modern british views about sexual relationships
-some people in britain have casual sex with many partners
-many people in britain, including some christians, view using contraceptives as a responsible way of preventing sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies
other christian denominations’ views about sexual relationships
-sex should be treated with respect and consideration
-intercourse should only take place within marriage
sex before marriage: christian beliefs
-the gift of virginity offered in marriage makes both husband and wife feel special, privileged and loved
-sex before marriage devalues it
-as there has been no sex before marriage there, there is no danger of sexually transmitted diseases
quote about sex before marriage
‘wait until they are married’ (catechism)
contrasting beliefs to the church’s beliefs on sex before marriage
-other christian denominations think that sex should be saved for marriage
-many christians and non-christians in british society do have sex before marriage
-some have casual sex and many use contraceptives to prevent pregnancy
catholic & christian teachings about adultery
-breaks the promises made in marriage
-betrays trust in the marriage
-brings distress into the home and causes the whole family to be unhappy
-it can cause the break-up of the marriage
non religious views on adultery
-it may break a marriage promise but there may be a reason why, such as if one partner refuses to have sex
-personal happiness is important even if it may cause harm to someone else
-there may be other reasons why the marriage is falling apart e.g. a very unhappy marriage
-maybe the couple made a serious mistake in getting married and have found a more suitable partner
homosexuality: the teaching of the catholic church
-homosexual relations are not acceptable as there is no possibility of new life
-homosexuals should live celibate lives
-people are loved by God regardless of their sexual orientation, so should be treated with respect
contrasting views about homosexuality
-the church of england supports the idea of same-sex civil partnerships
-same-sex marriage was legalised in 2014 in england and wales
-some united reformed churches perform same-sex marriages
-many people in british society believe homosexuals should have the same rights as heterosexuals and so should be able to marry
-they do not see being able to have children as an essential part of marriage
conditions for a valid catholic marriage
-marriage is not valid until it is consummated
-the two people must declare that they are willing to accept God’s gift of children
-the promises must be made in the presence of a catholic priest
-both promise that they will remain together ‘for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part’
-the couple must not be closely related
-both people must be getting married of their own free
-the couple must be free to marry
-the actual moment of marriage is the consent
pope francis on homosexuality
-while homosexual acts are sinful, homosexuality in itself is not
-homosexuals should be integrated into society, not marginalised
the nature of marriage
-providing the loving relationship and atmosphere through which children can grow and flourish
-an exclusive union of a man and woman
-a sacrament through which God’s love and blessing is given to a couple
the marriage promises
-the public declaration assures each other that their love is genuine and asks for the church community’s support
-the full names are used to ensure everyone knows the identity of those making the promises
-by making the same promises the husband and wife show that there is equal commitment in marriage
-the commitment only ends when one partner dies (till death do us part’)
-the promises recognise that there may be difficulties as well as good times (for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health’)
-they promise to fulfil a loving relationship (‘to love and to cherish’)
what is cohabitation?
a couple living together and having a sexual relationship without being married to one another
reasons for cohabitation in british society:
-some people want to see if the relationship works out
-some live together for financial reasons
the catholic church disagrees with cohabitation because…
-it may destroy the sense of family
-it breaks the sanctity of the sexual union
-it breaks the sanctity of marriage
-may reduce effort to make the relationship last
-it removes commitment from the sexual union
-it may destroy a sense of need for faithfulness
-it may create insecurity as one might leave
-if the couple split up it affects children
when is annulment allowed?
-one partner does not take the exclusive nature of marriage seriously
-the couple have never had sex
-they always insist on contraception & refuse God’s gift of children
-they didn’t enter freely into marriage
the catholic position on divorce
-marriage promises made before God cannot be broken
-God made man and woman to be united as one
-jesus taught that a divorcee remarrying commits adultery
-marriage is ‘till death do us part’
-the couple knew what they were committing to
contrasting views on divorce
-it is impossible to know what the future holds
-if the marriage has broken down, divorce may be the compassionate solution
the catholic position on remarriage
-can happen if the original partner has died
-anyone who divorces and remarries cannot receive communion
-allowed if the first ‘marriage’ is annulled
-not allowed to remarry in church if the original spouse is still alive
contrasting views on remarriage (christian denominations)
-anglicans, methodists and other free churches do not encourage remarriage but will sometimes marry divorcees
-most protestant denominations will not stop those who remarry from receiving communion
which purposes of sex mustn’t be separated?
unitive and procreative
why isn’t contraception allowed?
it makes sex non-procreative and separates the two purposes
what is family planning?
the practice of controlling how many children couples have, and when they have them
the church & family planning
-natural family planning reduces the chances of conception but leaves the final decision to God
-couples should only have the number of children they can care for
-recent popes have stressed the need for responsible parenthood
-the use of natural family planning is acceptable
what is natural family planning?
using the woman’s natural monthly cycle to reduce or increase the chance of conception
catholic response to: many people say contraceptives are essential to stop the spread of STIs
if both partners do not have sex with others before or outside marriage there is little chance of contracting an STI
catholic response to: it is responsible to use contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancies
the final decision about pregnancies should be left up to God
catholic response to: many
christian denominations say that using contraception prevents the family from having too many children to support
use natural family planning
catholic response to: the world is becoming over-populated, so limiting family sizes is a responsible action
genesis says, ‘be fruitful and multiply’: it is wrong to stop God’s gift, lovingly intended for a married couple
catholic response to: it is acceptable to use the morning-after pill as it prevents the egg developing and an unwanted pregnancy
life begins at conception so using the morning-after pill is wrong as fertilisation may have already taken place
what are the four tasks of a family:
-to form a community
-to help with the life and personal development of eachother
-to take part in the development of the wider society
-to be part of the life and mission of the church
what is a nuclear family?
-mother, father and children living together
-the usual type of family for most catholic families in british society
what is an extended family?
-has additional relatives to the nuclear family, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles
-this is common in some cultures and religions
-sometimes catholics also live with their grandparents
what are other families?
-may consist of a single parent with children or a same-sex couple with or without children
-becoming more common in british society but not normally among catholics
what does the catholic church teach about family & children?
-family is the best environment to bring up children
-children are signs of the parents’ love for each other
-the family provides a stable and safe place for children to develop
what does the catholic church teach about education?
-parents are the first and most important teachers of their children
-parents are the role models for their children
-parents should encourage their children to become independent, well balanced individuals who respect everyone
-parents need to provide an atmosphere where everyone is valued
the purpose of a family is to provide…
-security
-love
-religious teaching
-education
-stability
-moral guidance
roles within the family expressed in the bible (children)
children should honour their parents by obeying them as God commands it (‘children, obey your parents’ - ephesians)
roles within the family expressed in the bible (fathers)
fathers should show love and kindness to children, so they should bring them up in the christian faith
(‘do not provoke your children to anger … instruction of the Lord’ - ephesians)
roles within the family expressed in the bible (wives)
show their love by doing what their husbands ask
(wives, be subject to your husbands - ephesians)
roles within the family expressed in the bible (husbands)
love their wives so much they would be prepared to die for them (‘love your wives just as christ loved the church’)
the dignity of work within the home
-the father’s role includes protecting and providing for the needs of the family, and teaching by word and example
-catholics regard men and women as equally important in contributing different qualities to help in bringing up children
-many mothers also go out to work to help provide for the family financially
are single people encouraged to be parents?
no
how many children in britain live with one parent now?
around a quarter
quote about equality from the bible
‘you are all one in christ’
important women in the bible
-esther saved the jews from the persians
-deborah acted as a judge
-mary magdalene was the first to announce jesus’ resurrection
-mary, mother of Jesus, showed obedience
importance of men in the bible
-most of the events recorded in the bible are about men
-jesus chose 12 male apostles who catholics believe were made the first priests at the last supper
-the first missionaries and main leaders of the church were men
catholic teachings on gender discrimination
-it stops the use of God-given talents
-it can be hurtful and damaging
-support should be given for women as mothers
-supports objective equality’ (no distinction between the sexes)
-it devalues a person
-men and women should receive equal pay for equal work
-certain roles belong to one gender or another
catholic views vs non religious views on the pay gap
catholics:
-catholics do not support women being paid less for doing the same job as men
-‘they [women] have the same rights. the disparity is a pure scandal’
non religious:
-men and women should be given equal pay
-it is wrong that, while women make up about half of the workforce, men hold most of the senior positions
catholic views vs non religious views on the sexes having different roles
catholics:
-men and women should be able to fulfil particular roles, women who choose to look after the home and children should be supported
-only men are allowed to become priests
non-religious:
-the catholic view of the different roles of men and women is a form of discrimination
-roles traditionally reserved for women and men are being shared or switched
-other christian denominations allow women as vicars, ministers or pastors
catholic views vs non religious views on positive discrimination
catholics:
-defending women’s rights must not detract from a woman’s role in the family and in the home
non-religious:
-there is a need for positive discrimination
