Topic 25 Family life and importance

Question 1

Outline non religious views on importance of family life

Answer 1

1. families exist for mutual support, companionship + welfare of children -> family unit seen by many as place for love and security
2. basic unit of society -> provides with an identity, history, name and values -> keep learning about customs + traditions

early experiences within families have huge effect on sort of ppl we become

Question 2

outline religious views on the importance of family life

Answer 2

• provides stability and support, upheld mostly in an ordered household and nuclear setting
  1. spiritual education as well as academic, family continues faith through children -> especially for Catholics who accept Aquinas’ precept of education as promoting and sharing christianity
  2. sexual expression for husband and wife - creating a family should only occur in context of marriage

Question 3

outline non religious views on responsibilities within family

Answer 3

1. parents should -> educate children morally and academically, provide for material and emotional needs, provide security, and appropriate discipline
2. children should -> listen, respect and obey parents, responding to advice and adhering to household rules, help when require around house

Question 4

outline christian teachings on responsibility within family

Answer 4

1. parents should -> educate children spiritually by teaching god’s commandments through home prayer, church and sunday school -> Deut 6 you shall teach them diligently to your children and provide material needs Tim 5 if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever
   love care, stable environment, security, but discipline when necessary -> Proverbs 13 ‘a wise son heeds his father’s discipline’
2. children should obey parents -> exodus 20 10 commandments
   look after parents in old age tim 5 ‘repaying parents and grandparents for this is pleasing to god’

Question 5

outline children’s rights

Answer 5

1. article 25 of universal declaration of human rights states everyone = entitled to reasonable standard of living and specifies that ‘motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care + assistance’ children born in and out of wedlock entitled to same social protection
2. article 26 everyone has right to education

Question 6

explain why christians have differing views on children’s rights

Answer 6

1. many christians -> important to protect rights -> children just as valuable as adults, and Jesus set example to care for children and stand up for weak who cannot defend themselves -> Matt 19 ‘let the little children come to me’ when disciples tried to stop ppl from bringing kids to jesus
2. evangelical christians criticised for not upholding convention of the rights of a child article which statess the right to have their views respected, as tend to impose evangelical beliefs on children -> might not be forced but could be damaging (Richard Dawkins thinks this)
3. Fundamentalists chritians believe children’s rights have gone too far, and should respect parent’s wishes and do as they say (exodus 20, obey parents) -> catholics believe should not have freedom to choose religion other than one they are brought up in as that is god’s wish

Question 7

outline non religious views on children’s rights

Answer 7

1. children’s rights are enshrined in human rights declaration, thus should be upheld as it protects the vulnerable esp refugees and those in care
2. peter singer a radical ethicist argues children should not have rights just because they are human -> infanticide may be best option for child who is born severely disabled -> but many disabled children have very fulfilling lives
3. some more trad ppl argue children should be seen and not heard and that children’s right to expression is taking it too far

Question 8

outline how the nature of family life is changing

Answer 8

1. nuclear family most prominent, but now changing as there are more reconstituted families as divorce and remarriage is more common -> 20% of over 30s men are stepfathers -> has doubled over past 12 years
2. more homosexual couples having children due to the legalisation of homosexual marriage and the availability of IVF and surrogacy
3. More single parents -> 15.4% of families in UK are single parent households compared to 5.2% in 1991 -> due to divorce separation, or ivf to have child by themselves, death of partner
4. extended family -> more popular as more mothers in paid employment + use grandparents for childcare, w grandparents living nextdoor or within the household, immigration increases this with extended family units in one household to share roles

Question 9

outline effects of changing nature of family life?

Answer 9

1. jealousy of siiblings having to share parents in reconstituted families
2. seeing less of one parent/grandparents
3. divided loyalties if parents split up, and confusion around identy
4. harder to care for elderly relatives if live far away etc
5. more siblings/parent figurs + opportunities for love and attention
6. large extended fam can help w childcare, different relations have diff skills and roles

Question 10

Explain christian responses to changing nature of the family

Answer 10

1. RCC -> advocate for nuclear family as don’t accept divorce and don’t agree w sex outside of marriage so wouldn’t advocate for single parent families thru choice, or reconstituted families in remarriage (fine in death of partner) -> reject same sex relationships, so homosexual parents of family unacceptable -> extended families accpetable as grandparents can educate about spirituality and help w childcare etc -> look to bible, adam and eve told to go forth and mulitply in genesis = nuclear family = god’s plan, also tradition -> aquinas’ natural law + ordered soicety
2. CofE -> ideal = nuclear, follows biblical model + offers best opportunities for kids -> accepting of reconstituted families and single parents as accepting of reality of divorce and believing not right to condemn those in difficult circumstances-> reject homosexual marriage but recognise need to change w times and need to be supportive of all family units -> look to bible, adam and eve, and trends in society influence their views on remarriage and divorce which informs their views on family
3. quakers -> nuclear families still important in modern day world, but accepting of all families -> look to conscience so do not judge different faily units, accept homosexual units as it is about quality of relationship and thus that family unit is equal to a heterosexual one -> accept divorce + reconstituted families

Question 11

outline non religious responses to changing nature of family unit

Answer 11

1. most live within nuclear unit
2. accepting of single parent + reconstituted families as is invitable
3. accepting of extended families to help w child care due to having both parents working