Topic 1 - Relationships And Families Flashcards
Catholics teach sex should be….
Marital
Unitive
Procreative
What is meant by the term ‘marital’
Sex and love is a gift from God
The ultimate commitment
What is meant by the term ‘unitive’
Sex deepens the love.
The couple become closer and more committed
They give themselves to each other.
What is meant by the term ‘procreative’
God creates new life through sex
There is more intensity in self- giving when open to new life.
Quote to support Marital sex
“The sexual act outside marriage is a grave sin”
- ccc
Quote to support procreative sex
“Be fruitful and multiply”
- Genesis 1:27-28
Quote to support unative sex
“The two shall become one flesh”
- Mark 10:6-9
What is the catholic teaching about sex before marriage
Sex before marriage (especially casual sex) trivialises the act
If both parties are virgins, the gift of virginity in marriage makes both feel more special and loved
What is meant by this quote:
“God created humans in his image, male and female.”
-Genesis 1:27
Human life is most important to God
Men and women are equal in the eyes of God and are complementary to eachother
Pope John Paul II: theology of the body
What are the views of Marital sex
Unites the couple in self-giving and love
Bonds the couple
Shows commitment, love
Gives the possibility of new life
Pope John Paul II: theology of the body
What are the views of Extramarital sex
Exploits the other person for personal pleasure
Can lead to seeing others as sex objects – rather than individuals with dignity and value
Can make people selfish …
Adultery breaks the marriage vows
What are the important teachings about Catholic Marriage
‘Think spel’
S acrament (God is part of the marriage) P ermanent (it is life-long) E xclusive (faithfulness is very important) L ife-giving (it should be pro-creative)
Catholic marriage vows
To have and to hold from this day forwards For better for worse For richer for poorer In sickness and in health To love and to cherish Until death do us part
Adultery – Catholic views
• It breaks the marriage vows (have and to hold….love
and cherish)
• Betrays trust - causes hurt
• Brings distress to whole family
• Can cause the break-up of the marriage (insecure for children)
• Jesus says adultery is wrong
Contrasting views about adultry
personal happiness is more important…? Perhaps the couple made a serious mistake by getting married?
Catholic teachings on homosexuality:
• It is not a sin to have homosexual feelings
• Homosexual sex is considered wrong because it is not pro-
creative
Catholic church and same sex marriage
- Same-sex marriage is legal in the UK
- But the Catholic Church teach that it is not (sacramentally) marital (Adam and Eve) nor properly unitive nor procreative.
- Therefore Catholic Church will not marry same sex couples nor will the Church of England.
What is divorce
Divorce: the legal ending of a marriage
Whay can’t couples get divorced in the catholic church
God is part of the marriage
Catholic marriage is ‘till death do us part’
Catholic ideas of remarriage
- Catholics cannot re-marry in a Catholic Church unless the original partner has died
- A re-married Catholic cannot therefore receive Holy Communion
What makes a catholic marriage valid?
Must be consummated
Both parties must give consent and be free to marry
They must be married of their own free will
Must be willing to accept children
The five vows must be said infront of a priest
Must not be closely related
What is annulment
Catholics can receive a statement that their (Catholic) marriage was invalid
Acceptable reasons to get annulled
- One/both was forced to marry
- One/both never intended to have a child
- The marriage was not consummated
- One/both never intended to remain faithful
- Lies/concealment
- Incest
- Couldn’t give consent (not understanding the vows)
Church of England views on divorce …
- Divorce IS accepted and recognised because sometimes it is human nature that vows cannot be kept
- Re-marriage is seen as a sign of God’s forgiveness and willingness to give a new start
What can catholics do to avoid breaking up
- Attend marriage preparation classes
2. Seek marriage counselling
What is cohabitation
Cohabitation: living together as a couple without making a formal commitment
Why is the Catholic Church against cohabitation?
• There is no commitment within the sexual union
• This can create insecurity … and reduce the need
for faithfulness
What are catholic attitudes to contraception?
All artificial contraception is wrong ….
• It contradicts God’s command to ‘be fruitful and multiply’….
• ….It contradicts the two purposes of sex - to be unitive and to procreate
What are Christian (not catholic) attitudes ro contraception
- Artificial contraception is acceptable because..
- It is responsible to only have the number of children you can care for
- God created sex for uniting couples as well as for pro-creating
What type of contraception are all christians against
All Christians are against the morning-after pill
What is natrual family planning (NFP)
- The Catholic Church does allow Natural Family Planning
- … where couples do NOT have sex when the woman is at the most fertile time of the month
- Catholics agree that couples should only have the number of children they can care for
- The possibility of pregnancy remains - if this is what God plans
What is meant by ‘the church in minature’
Nuclear family is ideal, e.g. married mother, father and child who live together
What are the catholic teachings about families other than a Nuclear family
- Other types of family are not encouraged
- Having a mother and father is more balanced
- Children with same-sex parents may be harmed by prejudice and intolerance
What are contrasting views to the catholic church on families
- A quarter of children in Britain have single parents …
- There is growing acceptance of same-sex parenting (20,000 children)
- Love and stability matters most
Four main responsibilities of parents:
- To pro-create
- To give children security
- To educate children
- To be the authority
Roles/responsibilities within the family:
• Children should obey their parents
• Parents should show love and kindness to children
• Parents should bring up children in the Christian faith
• Husbands should love their wives so much they are
prepared to die for them
Gender roles in the Church
Traditionally, Catholics saw the mother’s role as looking after home and children – today considered very dignified
Traditionally, father’s role was to protect and provide financially for the family
Today, most Catholics see men and women as equally important – bringing different qualities
Today, many mothers work full or part time to provide for the family
Gender equality means that sometimes roles are switched
Quote supporting gender equality
“God created humans in his own image, male and female he created them both”
(Genesis 1:27)
“There is neither male nor female…for you are all one in Christ Jesus”
(St Paul)
Whay are there only male priests?
- In the Old Testament men were seen as superior to women…
* The 12 apostles were male and early Church leaders were men
How was jesus radical for his time
In therms of gender equality
- Jesus was radical – he treated women as equal to men. For example:
- Mary Magdalene had the task of announcing the resurrection to Jesus’ male followers
- Mary, Jesus mother, is shown as the perfect disciple
Catholic teaching on gender equality
“Each of the two sexes has equal dignity, though in a different way”
~ ccc
Meaning….men and women are equal but have different roles
What roles can women undertake in the church
- Motherhood
- Holy Communion/Confirmation classes
- Retreat days
- Can become a nun
- Can be a Eucharistic minister
- Can be a missionary
- Be in a caring profession, e.g. doctor
- Support charities (e.g. CAFOD, SVP)
Contrasting views on female priests.
- Christian group the Salvation Army have had women priests since 1865
- The Church of England has allowed women priests since 1994 and women bishops since 2014
Pope francis on the gender wage gap:
“Why should women earn less than men for doing the same job? It is a scandal!’
What does the catholic church teach about gender discrimination
Catholic Church teaches that gender discrimination is wrong because it devalues a person and society
