Marriage and Family Life

Key Words
1. Marriage-The legal joining of a man and a woman in a ceremony of matromony
2. Divorce-The legal dissolving of a marriage so that no legal ties or obligations remain between the couple
3. Marital breakdown-A term referring to causes for a marriage to end
  1. Abuse, unfaithfulness
4. Cohabitation-Where two people live together in a sexual relationship but are not married
5. Civil Partnership-A legal ceremony which registers the terms and conditions of partnership between same sex couples
6. Sanctity of Marriage-A Christian term which involves the concept that God ha designed marriage between a man and a woman as part of creation
Background Information
1. Marriage Ceremonies can either be Religious Marriages of Civil Marriages
  1. Religious Marriages: Usually take place in a religious setting (Church) and contain vows which have been designed to reflect religious beliefs about the value and purpose of marriage
  2. Civil Marriages: Take place in government registry offices or other legally approved venues. They contain only the legal requirements for UK law (Witnesses are needed, register is signed
Christian Reasons for Marriage
1. It is a relationship ordained by God as he intended man and woman to join as one
2. It creates stability in society and makes for more secure relationships in the family
3. It is the context for family life and is believed to be context for raising children lovingly
4. It is the proper context for a sexual relationship
5. It is the place where love (agape) is first shown and learnt by people
Bible Verses
1. Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him" ( Gen 2)
  1. Meaning: God did not think that other life forms could be a suitable companion for humans, neither was he, God, their companion. They needed each other for support and comfort.
2. This explains why a man leaves his father an mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united as one.
  1. The bond created in marriage makes two separate people one in heart and spirit. It is therefore seen as impossible to separate this bond once it has been made. God is the one who makes this bond possible.
3. You say, " I am allowed to do anything"- but not everything is good for you...you can't say our bodies were made for sexual immorality...Don't you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? (1 Corinthians 6)
  1. Meaning: This implies that the proper place for sexual relationships is in marriage because any other kind of sexual relations outside of this are immoral
4. My wife's body does not belong to her...the husbands' body does not belong to just him ( 1 Cor 7)
  1. The sexual relationship inside a marriage makes the man and wife bond so closely they are responsible for each other
5. Anyone who divorces his wife, except for unfaithfulness, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery. (Matt 5)
  1. This passage is used by some Christians to show that divorce is understandable in some serious cases but is never the ideal
6. Two are united into one. Since they are no longer two but one, what God has joined together man must not divide ( Mark 5)
  1. The passage is used by Christians who take the bond of marriage as an absolute rule and they will not accept a divorce as possible because God has joined the couple as one
Key Christian Values
1. Agape- Unconditional love that Christians aspire to, as shown in the marriage vows: for better for worse; richer for poorer; in sickness and in health; til death do us part
2. Forgiveness- The Christian teaching that places importance on second chances and sorrow for any mistakes made. Jesus teaches "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Marriages should show this forgiveness in action.
3. Respect and Equality- Although the marriage partnership has roles and responsibilities for men and women which give them different jobs to perform in the family, all relationships are to be based on respect and equality as shown by following Christ
  1. For you are all one in Christ (Gal 3)
Christian Attitudes to Divorce and Remarriage
1. Since 1981 the Church of England has accepted divorce as a reality but does not see it as an ideal solution to marriage problems. Re- marriage within the Church is allowed if the vicar or Bishop is confident that the conditions of marriage are understood properly
2. Protestant Christians accept with sadness that divorce happens although it is never seen as an ideal. Remarriage is permitted if the pastor is satisfied that the situation is genuine
3. The Orthodox Church accepts that marriages can and do end in divorce. It allows remarriage in Church but restricts this to a maximum of twice
4. Roman Catholics do not accept divorce as a solution to marriage problems and will not re-marry any divorced person in a religious ceremony.
  1. They do have a system of anullment which is a procedure to show that a marriage is void and the original ceremony was flawed. Three areas of impediment are the only reason for invalidating the marriage:
    1. 1. One of the persons did not fully understand the meaning of marriage
    2. 2. The marriage was not consummated (No sexual relations)
    3. 3. One of the persons lied when making the vows

Siguiente

Marriage and Family Life

Descripción

Resumen del Recurso

Similar

	Creado por Laura Durrant hace más de 11 años