Family and relationships

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  • Created by: CPev3
  • Created on: 16-05-19 21:01

Catholic teachings about family fundamentals

  • Family= strengthened under headship of father- respected by everyone in home
  • Mother= heart of family- as father takes care of job, mother free to love without concern
  • "For if the man is the head, the woman is the heart" (Pope Pius XI)
  • Parents= equal in dignity, different in rank and responsibility
  • Respectful and disciplined children raised
  • "The family is the original cell of social life" (Catechism of the Catholic Church)
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The Christian Family

  • Loving and respectful relationships formed
  • Bible shows model family consisting of mother, father and children
  • Place for the nurture and disciplining of children
  • Children brought up with Christian values and understanding of faith until commit themselves
  • Marriage is significant- allows men and women to be prepared for responsibilities of family life
  • Fidelity= married couple are faithful and committed to one another- protects stability of family
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Ruth Midgley

  • Liberal Christian
  • Marriage= gift from God
  • Allows you to spend life with someone who shares interests and enthusiasms
  • Couple can follow God together and steer each other in right direction
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Church of England- Marriage

  • A commitment to "live and grow in love", as shown in Bible
  • Should reflect Christ's love for the Church
  • Christ committed to people and Chuch- married couple have promised to remain committed to one another
  • Christ showed love through crucifixion- couple prepared to love one another, not be selfish, and consider each other's needs
  • Offers three belessings
    • Creation and nurture of children
    • Correct place for sexual realtions
    • Help and comfort during all aspects of life
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Catholic Church- Marriage

  • Unique and unbreakable bond between couple created cannot be dissolved
  • Permanent and faithful commitment to one another expresses Christ's love and committment to his people
  • Reveals God's unconditional love
  • Sacrament- brings God's grace to couple- helps each spouse remain faithful to one another and be good parents when have children                                                                            
  • "Don't pay atention to this mkeshift culture which can shatter our lives"- marriage= permanent, depsite increasing rate of divorce in wider society
  • Presence of Christ in marriage helps sustain and strengthen promises made
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Catholics and Orthodoxes- Marriage Service

  • During service couple spiritually joined together- "a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife and they become one flesh" (Genesis)
  • Must be baptised in order for marriage to be considered sacramental- if one has not been, special permission is required from bishop (this marriage is called disparity of cult)
  • Weddings include special 'nupital' mass
    • Bread and wine taken to altar
    • Saying of vows and following of liturgy help direct couple's thought to God during ceremony
    • Personal blessing said by priest as part of mass
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Quakers- Marriage Service

  • Believed only God can join the couple together, so no minister to lead the proceedings
  • Couple sit in silent worship with congregation until ready to say vows
  • "In the presence of God and before these our families and friends"
  • Couple sign Quaker marriage certificate, which is then read out by a friend/ relative
  • During silent worship, anyone maystand and speak if feel led to do so by God
  • At end everyone signs certificate- stresses belief union is made between couple and God
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Church of England- Same-Sex Marriage

  • Law doesn't allow ministers of Church of England to carry out same-sex marriages
  • "The Curch of England affirms, according to our Lord's teaching, that marriage is a union of one man with one woman" (Canon)
  • Marriage should be between and man and women, with one of its purposes being procreation
  • May hold blessings for same-sex couples after they marry in civil (non-religious) ceremonies          
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Catholic Church- Same-Sex Marriage

  • Homosexual acts against natural law as cannot result in children
  • Concerned wil have harmful effects on society by undermiming value of heterosexual marriage
  • "Under no circumstances can homosexual acts be approved" (Catechism of the Catholic Church)- urges homosexual people to remain celibate
  • "Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided" (Paragraph)
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Episcopal Church- Same-Sex Marriage

  • "Homosexual persons are children of God"
  • Supports same-sex marriage as a committed relationship through which love can be securely expressed
  • "Love transcends sexuality and gender" (Geneal Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church)
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Catholic Church and Church of England- Civil Partn

  • Marriage is proper place in which sexual relationships should occur, main role of sex being to create new life
  • Performing a civil partnership suggests homosexual sex is as acceptable as heterosexual sex, which is against their teaching- "if a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both have done what is detestable"
  • Undermime teaching that it's best that children be raised by their biological mother and father  
  • House of Bishops- homosexual partnerships aren't in keeping with the Biblical teaching on sexual relationships
  • Believed homosexual couples will not inherit kingdom of God
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Other Christian Views on Civil Partnerships

  • Provide companionship, unity and stability in same way that heterosexual marriages do
  • Reflect biblical value of equality and God's desire to bless faithful lifelong marriages, regardless of sex of couple
  • Should have freedom to marry whomever they like due to "the inherent worth and dignity of every person"
  • Given 'free will'
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Celibacy

  • Reamining unmarried and abstaining permanently from sexual relationships
  • Allows Christians to fully focus on serving God
  • In Catholic Church priests, nuns and monks are required to remain celibate
  • Gift rather than restriction- better enabled toshare love of God with all
  • Paul the apostle- best way to live in service to God, though if cannot control sexual desires then should marry (Corinthians)
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Catholic Church- Contraception

  • Against artficial contraception- anything "deliberatley contraceptive" is "Intrinsically wrong" (Humanae)
  • Married couples should "transmit human life" (Catechism of the Catholic Church)
  • May lead to promiscuity
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Catholic Church- Divorce

  • "What God has joined together let no one separate" (Mark)- marriage is permanent and cannot be broken by humans
  • Breaks legal agreement made in marriage, though not holy agreement made with God
  • "Anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery" (Matthew)
  • Accept annulments given if...
    • the couple are closely related
    • one of the two was under the age of 16
    • one of the two was already married/ in a civil partnership
  • ...as the promises made and therefore the marriage itself were not valid
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Church of England- Divorce

  • Couples should work hard to keep vow of lifelong commitment to one another in marriage
  • Recognises sometimes impossible for a couple to remain together and divorce is inevitable, for example in the case of adultery
  • Before divorce granted, priest will encourage couple to have councelling to try and fix their marriage/ ensure they're determined for next marrige to be an eternal, faithful one/ make sure they understad divorce is a breach of God's will for marriage 
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