Unit 4 - Clashes between religious and secular values in: Marriage and Annulment

Question 1

What does marriage mean for Christians?

Answer 1

• Marriage is a special relationship between a man and woman that is created by God.
• When a couple gets married, they make promises before God that their relationship will be faithful and permanent in every circumstance

Question 2

Civil marriage clashes

Answer 2

• Civil marriage is a legally recognized marriage that takes place without a religious ceremony.
• The COE recognises it
• Although the Roman Catholic Church accepts the marriage of non-Catholics through a civil ceremony, it doesn’t recognise that Catholics can be married in this way
• For them, marriage is a spiritual bond and must take place in a church according to the laws of the Church

Question 3

Same-sex marriage clashes

Answer 3

• Legal in the UK
• Not in Northern Ireland though
• Legally recognised through a civil ceremony
• The COE is opposed to same-sex marriages in church, since they believe that marriage is only between a man and woman
• Nevertheless, Anglicans recognise the validity of civil same-sex marriages
• On the other hand, the Roman C Church is completely opposed to same-sex partnerships

Question 4

Divorce clashes

Answer 4

• Although the COE sees marriage as a ‘permanent and lifelong union’, it recognises that there may be some situations in which divorce is inevitable
• If a divorced person wished to marry again in a church, they may do so if their vicar agrees
• However, the Catholic Church maintains that the permanency of marriage can’t be broken
• Marriage is a relationship made by God and humans can’t break it
• Divorcees aren’t allowed to remarry in a Catholic Church

Question 5

What is annulment?

Answer 5

A procedure that cancels a marriage: it effectively wipes it out as if it never existed.

Question 6

What are conditions that must be met for an annulment to take place?

Answer 6

• The marriage wasn’t conducted by a Catholic priest
• An ‘impediment’ meaning the couple shouldn’t have been allowed to marry. e.g. being underage or closely related
• A ‘defect’ in the couple’s consent to marry
• This means that one or both of the partners wasn’t in a position to agree to the marriage
• For example not being mentally fit to make the decision or making the decision under the influence of drugs/alcohol