Marriage and Relationship Revision

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Contraception and Family Planning

Catholic: 

  • Limit their family size through using natural family planning
  • Various Popes condemn artificial contraception, permit solely natural methods
  • Church teaches all sex should be unitive and creative
  • Artificial contraceptives bring on early abortion, Church condemns   

Example: Genesis "be fruitful and increase in number"

Church of England:

  • Population control
  • Pleasure-love-most important
  • Not against God's plan-Bible doesn't condemn it
  • Protection of woman's health
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Human Sexuality: Different Attitudes Part 1

Evangelical Protestant:

  • They are sinful, one should pray to God to be heterosexual
  • God created man and woman to be together
  • Undermines values of a family, therefore bad for society

Evidence: Natural Law (Aquinas) - purpose of sex is procreation, something immorality and homosexuality can not achieve

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Human Sexuality: Different Attitudes Part 2

Roman Catholic:

  • Homosexual is not a sin, that's the way God created you, however engaging in homosexual acts is
  • Cannot help our feelings, but must preserve our soul+ remain celibate
  • Bible condemns homosexual acts but not feelings
  • Sex is exclusive,should only take place within a marriage which unites a man and a woman as one. - homosexual sex is forbidden 
  • Bible condemns all forms of sexual discrimination,all equal in the eyes of God and homophobia is forbidden

Evidence: Natural law 

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Same-Sex Marriage and Cohabitation

Roman Catholic:

  • Totally opposed to people cohabiting
  • Sexual intercourse outside of a marriage is a serious sin
  • Couples who sin cannot receive Holy Communion in church.

Some Protestant churches accept cohabitation although they hope that the couple will choose eventually to be married in church

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Divorce

Including reasons why, sanctity of marriage vows, Compassion and Remarrying

Protestant:

  • Teaches marriage is for life, recognises some fail so can divorce but only in exceptional circumstances.
  • Remarrying decision comes down to the priest.
  • If couple are refused they can have a civil ceremony and be blessed in church afterwards

The couple have to understand the breach, be determined to have a new life-long marriage and be willing to explore and grow their faith. The priest must also check enough time has passed since their divorce. The wo most imporant hings are they must not have divorced more than once and their relationship must not have been the cause of their previous divorce.

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Nature of Families

1. Role of Parents and Children

2.Extended families and the nuclear family

1. Parents fulfil physical needs (food, water) and spiritual needs (love, education, faith). Children show respect by caring, listening and accepting authority

2. A family that extends beyond just parents and their children e.g grendparents. A couple and their children regarded as a basic social unit.

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Purpose of Families

Roman Catholic:

  • To procreate and bring life
  • To keep children safe and in a stable environment whilst educating them on their faith

Evidence: The union, then, of male and female for the purpose of procreation is the natural good of marriage.

St. Augustine

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Gender Equality

1.Roles of men and women

2.Gender prejudice and descrimination

Protestant:

  • Churches accept the equality of both sexes,
  • Many have had women priests for a long time (for example, Baptists, Methodist, and U.R.C)
  • This acceptance on the Bible, states that male and female were both created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27)
  • St Paul’s statement that there is ‘neither male nor female’ (Galatians 3:28) 
  • They cite too Jesus’ own treatment of women – that of dignity and respect 
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10. Extra Notes

Same Sex Parents:

  • Roman Catholics: "Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable"

Polygamy (having more than one husband/wife):

  • Protestant: they are against polygamy and bigamy (The offence of being married to someone whislt already being married)
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Quotes to Remember

  • "Do not have sexual relations woth a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable":-Roman Catholic
  • "Every sexual act must be within the framework of marriage" (Pope Pius):- Roman Catholic
  • "You shall not commit adultery":- Evangelical
  • "Every sexual act should have the possibility of creating new life":-Roman Catholic
  • "The sexual act must take place exclusively within marriage. Outside of marriage always constitutes a grave sin":-Roman Catholic
  • "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man,she comits adultery":-Protestant
  • "Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, adn especially for their own household, had denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever":-Roman Catholic
  • "Listen to your father who gave you life and do not despise your mother when she is old":-Orthadox
  • "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus":-Protestant
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