Religion, relationships and families

Question 1

Biblical teaching about sexual love

Answer 1

Genesis 1:27-28:God created men and women in the image of God so are equal and they”43 designed to complement each other. Men and women are expected to procreate.

Question 2

Catholic teaching about the nature and purpose of sexual love

Answer 2

Sexual intercourse should be marital(within marriage, not before or outside marriage). The sacrament of marriage enables two people to commit themselves publicly in front of God to each other and the commitment is consummated by the physical union of sex.
Sex should be unitive, strengthening the couple’s love for each other and adultery is forbidden as it destroys the unity of the married couple
Sex should be procreative(open to creating new life) and the Catholic marriage ceremony contains the commitment to accept children lovingly from God. There’s more intensity in self-giving when open to new life.

Question 3

What is the significance of the exchange of rings in a Roman Catholic marriage?

Answer 3

The ring is a sign of a couple promising each other permanent love and faithfulness

Question 4

What is the purpose of vows in a Roman Catholic Marriage?

Answer 4

The couple make vows to be together at any cost until they die - the actual moment of the sacrament where God’s love is poured into the couple

Question 5

What is the priest’s role in a Roman Catholic marriage?

Answer 5

A priest must be present for it to be a Catholic wedding, he represents the Church and ensures the couple understands the responsibilities and meaning of Catholic marriage. The priest represents the people of God.

Question 6

What is the moment of consent in a Roman Catholic marriage?

Answer 6

The priest accepts the mutual consent of the bride and groom for the marriage to be permanent - important as you have to give consent to make it a legal marriage, otherwise it could be a forced marriage

Question 7

Purpose of the Bible in a Roman Catholic marriage?

Answer 7

It claims a marriage is permanent and the love of God is shown in the love in a marriage, a reading is taken from the Bible at the marriage

Question 8

Homily(in a Roman Catholic marriage)

Answer 8

The priest talks after the readings about the meaning and responsibilities of Christian marriage for the couple to understand.

Question 9

Register(in a Roman Catholic marriage)

Answer 9

To ensure the couple follow the civil requirements of marriage and to legally join the marriage together

Question 10

How is God’s love shown in a Roman Catholic marriage?

Answer 10

The marriage is what God has joined together, God pours his love into a couple

Question 11

Teachings against adultery

Answer 11

The Catholic Church forbid adultery as it destroys the unity of the married couple.
Pope John Paul II teaches adultery breaks the marriage vows and shows no commitment to a spouse
One of the 10 commandments from the early days of the Old Testament claims to not commit adultery
Jesus tells us to “love your neighbour as yourself”(Mark 12): if a married person commits adultery, they are not showing love/respect to their former partner

Question 12

Catholic Church sources of authority

Answer 12

Scripture(Bible)
Tradition - The wisdom in the lives/writings of inspired Christians
Magisterium - The pope and bishops allowed to interpret scripture and tradition:
“You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church…“(Jesus to Peter in Matthew 16:19)

Question 13

Adultery

Answer 13

Voluntary Sexual intercourse between a married person and a person not in their spouse

Question 14

Pope John Paul II’s teachings on marital sex

Answer 14

Unites a couple in self-giving and love
Brings two people into a communion of persons(sharing together)
Shows commitment, mutual love and respect, meaning greater intimacy
Contraceptives shouldn’t be used(gives possibility of creating new life)

Question 15

Pope John Paul II’s teachings on extramarital sex

Answer 15

Is a form of exploitation for personal pleasure
Can lead people to think of others as sex objects rather than individuals with dignity and value.
Adultery breaks the marriage vows and shows no commitment to a spouse
Stops sex from representing total love.

Question 16

Views that support marital sex

Answer 16

Other Christian denominations agree that sex shouldbe treated with respect, and intercourse should only occur in marriage
Catholic teaching forbids adultery since it destroys the unity and deep love of the married couple - sex(creating new life) fulfils this commitment and Catholics believe it should be marital(within marriage)
Pope John Paul II claim marital sex is better since it unites a couple in love as a communion of persons
and creates new life.
Catholics claim it’s an ever-lasting commitment that is an example to the rest of society and creates a warm atmosphere for children.
Christians think the ideal place to start life is in a marriage

Question 17

Views that support extramarital sex/adultery

Answer 17

Some people in Britain have casual sex with many partners
People in Britain, including Christians, use contraceptives to prevent sexually-transmitted diseases
Many Christians and non-Christians in British society do have sex before marriage
The marriage might be falling apart due to unhappiness

Question 18

What marriage is

Answer 18

Sacrament - The love of man and woman is shown in the name of God, a sign of Christ’s love for the Church
Permanent - for life:”and becomes the mirror of your everlasting love”(Preface of the Wedding Mass)
Exclusive - everyone apart from the couple is excluded, exclusive union of man and women, importance of faithfulness(“Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the Church and gave his life for it”-Ephesians 5:25).
Life-giving(pro-creative)

Question 19

Views on sex before marriage

Answer 19

The Catholic Church, in Youcat 407, claims sex before marriage devalues or trivialises it.
As there’s been no sex before marriage(Youcat 407), there’s no danger of sexually transmitted diseases.
The gift of virginity offered in marriage makes both husband and wife feel special, privileged and loved

Question 20

Teachings supporting homosexuality

Answer 20

The Church of England supports the idea of same-sex civil partnerships, homosexuality is fine but they won’t do same sex marriages.
Same sex-marriage was legalised in 2014 in England and Wales, reflecting the views of many in British society
Some United Reforms Churches perform same-sex marriages.
The Catholic Church would allow celibacy before marriage(no sex).

Question 21

Teachings against homosexuality

Answer 21

The Catholic Church teach homosexual relations are not acceptable as there’s no possibility of new life, but believe people should be loved by God regardless of their sexual orientation. Same sex marriage isn’t unitive(bond deeper if open to new life- can’t be procreative with homosexuals).
The Catholic Church also believe marriage is a sacrament between a man and a woman
Countries that criminalise homosexuality include Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan

Question 22

Conditions for a valid Catholic marriage

Answer 22

Must marry of own free will
Must give consent(actual moment of marriage)
Must have sex(marriage is consummated)
Must declare willingness to accept God’s gift of children
Must be free to marry
Five vows must be said in front of a Catholic priest
Must not be closely related
Both claim they’ll remain together ‘for ricjer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.”

Question 23

Cohabitation

Answer 23

Living together as a couple and having a sexual relationship without being married

Question 24

Marriage vows

Answer 24

They promise to fulfil a loving relationship in front of community to be accepted
By making the same promises, the husband and wife show there’s equal commitment in marriage
The commitment only ends when one partner dies and is physically expressed through sex
Marriage gives strength and hope to a couple.

Question 25

Views supporting co-habitation

Answer 25

Some people want to see if the relationship works out.
Some live in committed relationships throughout their lives
Some live together for financial reasons

Question 26

Views against co-habitation

Answer 26

The Catholic Church believe co-habitation:
1) Breaks the sanctity of marriage(lack of commitment, God is not part of the relationship)
2) Is insecure for the couple as it reduces the need for faithfulness
3) Breaks the sanctity of the sexual union

Question 27

Annulment

Answer 27

A statement by the Catholic Church that there was no valid marriage in the first place

Question 28

Divorce

Answer 28

The legal ending of a marriage

Question 29

Remarriage

Answer 29

When someone marries again after a previous marriage has come to an end

Question 30

Views that support marriage breakdown(divorce/remarriage)

Answer 30

The Catholic Church allow remarriage if the original partner has died or if the marriage is annulled
The Church of England recognise divorce as vows cannot be kept sometimes
Protestant denominations won’t stop those remarrying receiving communion
Some claim it’s impossible to know what the future holds

Question 31

Views that oppose marriage breakdown(divorce/remarriage)

Answer 31

Catholics claim the marriage promises made by God can’t be broken(divorce)
The Catholic Church forbid the remarried couple from receiving holy communion
The Catholic Church claim God made man and woman to be united

Question 32

Heterosexual

Answer 32

To be sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex

Question 33

Views supporting having sex in marriage

Answer 33

The Catholic Church teaches:
The Catholic Church support marital sex(within marriage) as it’s the final expression of the commitment of the couple to each other
Every act of sex should be unitive AND procreative
Using artifical contraception(unnatural methods preventing pregnancy) isn’t allowed as it makes sex non-procreative, but natural family planning(the practice of controlling how many children couples have, and when they have them) is allowed by the Catholic Church as it prevents families from being too large,but still leaves the final decision on pregnancies to God - it’s wrong to stop God’s intended gift for a married couple
The morning after pill causes an abortion(if you know you’re pregnant, you take tablets to avoid having more babies).

Question 34

Views in British society that don’t want sex in marriage

Answer 34

It’s responsible to use contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancies
Christian denominations say using contraception prevents the family from having too many children to support
The world is becoming over-populated, so limiting family sizes is a responsible action.
The Bible doesn’t forbid contraception.
Both Catholics and other Christians ban the morning-after pill, Christians believe this causes abortion and the Catholic Church think this is against procreation.
Contraception enables existing children to have a better standard of living

Question 35

Views on family/parenthood in Britain: anyone can be a parent and sex doesn’t have to occur

Answer 35

The Catholic Church values the family as a Church in miniature with the tasks of forming a community, helping with the life and personal development
of each other/wider society and to be part of the life and mission of the Church, this is most important.
The Catholic Church sees the stability and happiness of family life as important for the development of society, the family provides love and security for each other, this is important.
Families with a single parent with children/a same-sex couple or a family without children is becoming more common in British society - around a quarter of children in Britain today live with one parent

Question 36

Views against anyone being a family in Britain

Answer 36

The usual type of family for Catholic families in Britain is a nuclear family, with a mother, father and children.
The Catholic Church teaches parents are the first and most important teachers for their children for them to be well-balanced, respectful individuals and give them security, pro-creation,authority and education.
Children are signs of the parents’ love for each other
A family can provide a safe and stable place for children to develop and be educated into well-mannered, respectful humans.
The Catholic Church teaches procreation should take place between a married man and women

Question 37

Views on roles in a family

Answer 37

Traditionally, Catholics believe the mother has to look after the home and children, the father protects and provides for the needs of the family, but both men and women are equally important in providing security and stabikity at home and for the children.
Gender equality means traditional roles are shared/switched.
Many mothers work part/full time to provide for the family.
Ephesians 5:21 and 6:1-4: Fathers should show love and kindness to bring children up in the Christian faith, wives should show their love by doing what their husbands ask, husbands should love their wives so much they would be prepared to die for them. People should live family lives as if they’re serving Jesus.

Question 38

Contraception

Answer 38

Device used to prevent pregnancy when a couple have sex

Question 39

Types of artificial contraception

Answer 39

Male condom
Female condom
Combined pill
IUD(coil)

Question 40

Views in the Bible supporting gender equality

Answer 40

In the Old Testament, women have special roles on the same level as men. In the New Testament, the dignity of women is symbolised in Mary(the mother of Jesus-Luke 1:26-38): God chose women to look after his son
Examples of womens’ roles in the Bible:
Mary Magdalene was the first to announce Jesus’s resurrection(John 20:17) - a woman was the first person experiencing the most important person in Christianity
“God created humans in his own image, male and female he created them both”(Genesis 1:27)- men and women have equal dignity and rights.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 372:
Men and women have equal roles in supporting/caring for each other, God deliberately created them as a pair.

Question 41

Views opposing gender equality

Answer 41

In Biblical times, the Roman Empire was male-dominated so Christians had to be careful about challenging the structure of society.
Most events recorded in the Bible were about men.
The first missionaries and main leaders of the Church were men.
Jesus chose 12 male apostles who Catholics believe were made priests at the last supper.
“I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man;she must be silent”(St Paul)
Jesus the Son of God was a man - men are more important
Gender pay gap - difference between average earnings of men and women, in men’s favour
Overall, women are discriminated as they have a more resteicted education than boys and they don’t get chosen for jobs due to gender rather than skill.

Question 42

Natural family planning

Answer 42

When a couple avoid sex at the time the women is most fertile

Question 43

Condoms

Answer 43

Ensure the sperm/egg cell wouldn’t reach a girl.

Question 44

Sanctity of life beliefs

Answer 44

Christians believe life is sacred and precious, as well as a gift from God which includes the Holy Spirit, and has started from the moment the sperm meets the egg,so we have to protect all human life. Only God chooses when life starts(no artificial contraception) and when it ends(no euthanasia).

Question 45

Theology

Answer 45

Discussion about God

Question 46

When did Pope John Paul II create the Theology of the Body

Answer 46

In 1978

Question 47

What does Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the body teach about human dignity?

Answer 47

God loves each and every human for his/her sake.
People’s dignity is represented through the body(their thoughts and choices).
Male and female both have their own dignity and value.
The meaning of the body and person is appreciated during a relationship between opposite sexes.

Question 48

Mutual love

Answer 48

Having enough children to provide for and be good parents for

Question 49

Gender equality

Answer 49

Where men and women have equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities

Question 50

Gender prejudice

Answer 50

The attitude women are superior to men/men are superior to men

Question 51

Gender discrimination

Answer 51

Putting gender prejudice into action

Question 52

Views againstgender discrimination

Answer 52

The Catholic Church claim it devalues a person, men and women should receive equal pay for equal work and it stops the use of God-given talents.
The 1975 Sex Discrimination Act was designed to prevent gender discrimination.

Question 53

Views supporting gender discrimination

Answer 53

Catholic Church believes certain roles belong to one gender or another
There’s a need for positive discrimination e.g. a company has nearly all male managers and deliberately tries to promote some women
Defending women’s right can’t detract from a women’s role in the family/at home.

Question 54

Why would an annulment be allowed:

Answer 54

If one partner doesn’t take the exclusive nature of marriage seriously
The couple never had sexual intercourse
They didn’t freely enter into marriage