Religion and Relationships

Religion and Relationships

Key Words:

·         Commitment – A promise to be faithful

·         Age of consent – age at which you can legally have sex. This is currently 16 in the uk.

·         Vows- promises made by the couple to be faithful to each other.

·         Contract- a formal agreement or legal bond.

·         Marriage contract- a contract between a bride and groom.

·         Covenant- an agreement.

·         Responsibility- the legal or moral duty which a person has.

·         Heterosexual- a human who is sexually attracted only to members of the opposite sex.

·         Homosexual- a human who is sexually attracted to members of the same sex.

·         Age of consent- the age at which someone can legally agree to have a sexual relati

Religious Marriage Ceremonies:

·         Buddhism - Have no official ceremony. Some may choose to invite monks to the temple, and drink from glasses of rice wine, which are larger each time. The couple may choose to vow their marriage based on the Eightfold Path or the Five Precepts. Some couples may use the Sigalavada Sutta and recite their responsibilities from it.

·         Christianity - A holy authority; usually a pope, is present with the couple, and read from the holy bible. There is clear emphasis on the fact that god is a part of the marriage, and that it will last until either one of the couple die. This is a part of the vow which is exchanged, and promises made to be faithful. Rings are exchanged, as a symbol of the eternal bond. Prayers are heard, asking god to bless the marriage.

·         Hinduism – The families of the partners greet each other, and the couple give each other garlands. The father pour sacred water on his daughter, to show that he is giving her away, while hymns are sung, from the Vedas. The end of the bride’s scarf is tied to the husband’s shirt. Rings are exchanged. The couple throw samagree into the sacred fire and ask the holy deities for a blessing. They pray for food, strength, wealth, happiness, children, good health and unity. At the end of each circuit they stand on a stone to pray their marriage will be strong like the stone. They then take seven steps around the fire and make wedding promises. The ceremony then ends with a prayer for the marriage to be strong and not break down and the couple are showered with petals and rice representative of blessings.

·         Islam – The ceremony usually takes place at home rather than a mosque. The couple freely consent to marriage in the presence of at least two witnesses. The groom has to pay mahr which belongs to the bride alone. A passage from the Qur’an is read and vows are exchanged. The couple also exchange rings, and the union of two families is usually celebrated with a large…