On this page you will find:
Marriage
Divorce
Family
Contraception
Homosexuality
Marriage
"I take thee to be my wedded husband/wife
to have and to hold
from this day forward
for better for worse
for richer for poorer
in sickness and in health
to love and to cherish
'til death us do part
according to God's holy law
and thereto I give thee my promise
The Book of Common Prayer
In the beginning...God made them male and female...and for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and two will become one
Mark 10:6-8
Christians believe that marriage is the proper relationship for people to have sex, to have children and to give mutual support. All denominations teach that marriage is intended to be a lifelong commitment.
Divorce
Generally, Christians believe that every effort should be made to keep couples together:
Christian teaching is that marriage is he life-long union of the partners and is therefore in principle indissoluble [can't be broken]. However, with other Christians...the Methodist Church recognizes that, for a variety of reasons, marriage do die...seperation or divorce may be unavoidable
(Methodist Conference statement)
The Roman Catholic View
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that divorce is a civil matter. Couple cannot be divorced in the sight of the Church. The Church will not bless a second marriage if a partner from the first marriage is still alive.
However, the Church can grant an annulment. This means the marriage is null and void, as if it never happened. It can do this if there was some reason why the marriage was not valid, e.g. if there was:
lack of consent
lack of judgement
inability to carry out the duties of marriage
lack of intention (one partner intends not to have children
The Church allows dissolution of a marriage for serious cases, e.g. if one of the couple was not baptized. This means the marriage bonds are broken.
The Anglican Church
In 1857, laws about marriage in England were transferred from the jurisdiction of the Church to the State, and became a civil matter. Divorce because of adultery became legal. However the Church of England refused to allow remarriage in church. This is still hotly debated within the Anglican Church and different dioceses have different rules. Some allow remarriage in a church, whilst others will bless the couple after a civil ceremony.
Family
All Christians believe that the family is the ideal social unit. It is one of the 'building blocks' that help to keep society stable. They agree that:
- the family is part of God's plan
- families don't just happen. They need to be worked at
- marriage is a sacred agreement. To love takes effort, discipline and sacrifice. This applies to all relationships within the family.
- the family is important in controlling the sex drive
- the family is a responsible unit for having and rearing children
- the family is where young people can learn about the customs, religion and traditions of society
- family provides loving support for the young, the sick, the aged and the disabled.
Christians expect children to honour their parents (see Exodus 20:12 - Ten Commandments), even if they do not always obey them. Parents are not perfect and will make mistakes; the ideal is that family members should be able to talk to each other and be mutually supportive.
Contraception
Having children has been such a central part of Christian marriage that for many centuries the Church was opposed to any form of contraception. It was up to God to decide how many children a couple would have; contracpetion was interfering with God's plan.
The Catholic church remains opposed to all forms of artificial contraception, but since the 1960s has encouraged the use of natural forms of contraception within marriage, such as the 'rhythm method' (working out when a woman is infertile within her menstrual cycle and only having sex then). Most protestant Churches allow the use of artificial contraception if both partners are agreed about it.
Homosexuality
There is very little consensus in the Church on homosexuality; it divides Christians at a basic level. There are practising homosexuals in the Church - some of them in positions of leadership. There are also many people who are opposed to homosexuality, some of them bitterly. Some gays and lesbians feel accepted within the Church; others feel rejected and excluded.
within any one denomination you might find all the views represented below - this produces a very confusing picture.
Homosexuality is very wrong: If you are gay or lesbian it cannot be the will of God. You need to change. If you do not repent, the consequences might be dire for you and others.
Homosexual relationships are sometimes acceptable. They should be judged by the same standards as all human relationships: Homosexuality is a natural part of some people. So homosexual sex is acceptable as long as it is expressed within the ideal Christian relationship i.e. within a faithful, monogamous relationship where both partners consent.
Homosexual sex is a wonderful, God-given gift to be celebrated: God made human beings with their sexuality. God loves us and accepts us as we are. Sexuality is not an added extra that can be seperated from that person. It is basic, and expressing it is essential and good.
Biblical Evidence
The following is a biblical quote that could be used in an exam answer, followed by the different ways it can be interpreted:
Even the women pervert the natural use of their sex by unnatural acts. In the same way the men give up sexual relationships with women and burn with passion for each other. Men do shameful things with each other, and as a result they bring upon themselves the punishment they deserve for their wrong doing.
Romans 1:26-27
Interpretations against homosexuality:
- You must read this is the wider context of the Bible; every time homosexuality is mentioned, it is disgraced - 'No man is to have sexual relations with another man; God hates that' (Leviticus 18:22)
- The core of the argument is that sex between men and women is according to God's order; homosexual sex is not.
- Paul was writing to inspire all Christians; we would be undermining the entire Bible if we ignored some passages and accepted others.
- You must read this in the wider context of the Bible - this passage is from a longer one about idol worship and is not necessarily about homosexuality specifically.
- Paul may not have been aware of homosexuality between two loving, consenting adults and may well have been talking about exploitive and casual relations.
- Paul was writing a long time ago in a completely different culture - it does not necessarily apply today. We should look to passages that are not dependent on environmental factors, such as 'Love thy neighbour', which promote equality and a step back from discrimination of any kind.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/8651417.stm
