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• Christianity teaches that the Church should be the foundation of family life.
• As part of the wider Christian family, the local parish will offer support to families, recognising the needs that families have in life.
• Most Christians believe marriage is important, but there are different views about divorce and remarriage within the religion.
• Some Christians believe the Bible teaches God made male and female to complete each other and procreate.
• There are a range of views towards homosexuality within Christian denominations.
• The Bible teaches that all humans are equal, but views differ on the roles of men and women in Christian worship.

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Remember

There are a range of Christian denominations, and therefore various Christian teachings on ethical issues.

Watch the video below to compare Christian, Hindu and Muslim attitudes and teachings towards marriage.

The family is the original cell of social life."

The Catechism of the Catholic Church - paragraph 2207

For most Christians, the family is an important institution and can include traditional nuclear families, stepfamilies, extended families and same-sex parents.

Christian teachings refer to God as the Father, creator, and sustainer of all living things. Many Christians see this as evidence that family relationships reflect God’s parental care for all humanity and the family unit is important for society, as well as the Christian faith.

Christians can look to the Bible for guidance on relationships with their family members. For example, the Ten Commandments instructs Christians to appreciate and respect their parents:

Honour your father and your mother.”

Exodus 20:12

Depending on the denomination, the purpose of the Christian family might include:

• To provide a secure environment for family through marriage – Many Christians believe that marriage is a commitment for couples to love and support each other and share in the care and upbringing of children. As Jesus said: “Love one another: just as I have loved you,” (John 13:34).

• To procreate – In Genesis, God tells a man to be with his wife and as a couple to have children: “Be fruitful and multiply,” (Genesis 1:28). Many Christians understand this verse to be a command to leave their parents, get married and then have children in that order.

• To raise children in the Christian faith – Verses such as: “Start children off on the way they should go,” (Proverbs 22:6) encourage Christians to bring their children up in their faith. Depending on the denomination, this may include: Baptism, Holy Communion, Confirmation and reading the Bible.

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Following the example of Jesus, many Christians believe it is important for parishes to support families as they raise and educate their children in the Christian faith.

Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me … for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these'.”

Matthew 19:14

The local Church community is seen as a wider family by Christians. Caring for others expresses God’s love and follows the example Jesus set. The local parish will strengthen the Church by supporting families to develop their faith, through faith ceremonies and non-faith activities:

Faith ceremonies can include family worship, baptisms, weddings and funerals. These ceremonies can give guidance, support and comfort to Christians.

Non-faith activities may also be organised by the local parish. These can include marriage guidance and children’s groups, such as toddler sessions.

Many Christian parishes see providing practical, emotional and spiritual support for all people in the community, as important.

The nature and purpose of marriage

Many Christians view marriage as a gift from God and a covenant between God and the couple. It is understood that the married couple’s love for each other reflects the sacred love Christ has for the Church.

There are however, different understandings around the sanctity and purpose of marriage within Christian denominations. For example:

• Many Christians believe that the main purpose of marriage is to honour God by following His command in the Bible to leave their parents to become husband and wife: "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh," (Mathew 19:4-6).

• The command: “Be fruitful and multiply," (Genesis 1:28) is interpreted by many Christians to mean that a couple should have children. Children are seen as a gift from God within Christian marriage based on this verse:

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.”

Psalm 127:3

• For many Roman Catholic Christians, the sacrament of marriage is a public sign that an individual is giving themselves, totally, to another person. It is seen as a public statement about their belief because the loving union has God at the centre of it.

The married state has been established by the Creator … God himself is the author of marriage."

Catechism of the Catholic Church 1604

For many Christians the ‘ideal marriage’ of one man and one woman began with the creation of Adam and Eve – each man should have one wife, and each woman one husband in a lifelong relationship. Christians believe that marriage is the ideal setting for sex between a couple. It provides a safe environment for children and teaches compromise, as couples try to live the way God wants them to do.

Christian marriage has a two-fold purpose – fellowship and parenthood. Permanence in the union is an essential condition.

Methodist conference 1980

Some Churches, recognising the pressures on married couples, offer courses and support. These may include marriage preparation courses, marriage enrichment courses, divorce recovery workshops.

Humanists believe that marriage should be a secular tradition and so the couple can personalise it entirely, with no religious restrictions.

Polygamy

Polygamy is illegal in the UK. Whilst not commonly accepted within Christianity, some denominations such as Lutheran Christians or The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (a denomination of Christianity in the USA), allow polygamy to take place, however, this is not widely practiced.
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Divorce is a legal process that ends marriage.

Jesus taught that anyone who divorced and remarried, except for sexual immorality, was committing adultery:

I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery."

Matthew 19:9

Since adultery is forbidden in the Ten Commandments, most Christians do not undertake divorce lightly.

Situation Ethics is where the circumstances of each individual situation are considered, and many Christians decide whether something is morally right or wrong based on the principle of agape love. Therefore, some Christians would accept divorce if it was felt that it was the most loving thing to do for all those concerned.

The Roman Catholic Church does not recognise divorce. According to Roman Catholic teaching, a marriage can only end when one partner dies or if there are grounds for an annulment.

All Christian denominations allow widows and widowers to remarry as their first marriage has ended in death.

So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children."

Timothy 5:14
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The legal changing of the definition of marriage in the UK, to include same-sex couples has caused debate in many Christian organisations and communities. Some Christians use teachings from the Bible and Church traditions as evidence for not accepting that marriage should include same-sex couples.

Be fruitful and multiply."

Genesis 1:28

Some Christians see the above quote as an argument against same-sex marriage as these couples cannot fulfil this through natural conception. The Catholic Church and many Evangelical Christian Churches teach that marriage excludes same-sex relationships, as they believe that homosexual acts go against divine and natural law.

In some of St Paul's letters included in the Bible, he condemns men who have sex with men as “unrighteous” and claims that men who practise homosexuality will not "inherit the Kingdom of God," (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

Interpretation of Biblical verses about homosexuality has caused debate between many Christians, with some denominations arguing that the biblical teachings are outdated and don’t reflect modern views.

Other Christians accept that monogamous homosexual relationships can have the same values that are central to a Christian marriage. These Christians argue that it is not right to deny same-sex couples a marriage, simply because the union cannot result in children through natural conception.

Some Christian denominations, including the Quakers and the United Reformed Church, have conducted same-sex weddings since the new legislation came into effect, in 2013.

This quote from Quaker writings confirms their position:

We affirm the love of God for all people, whatever their sexual orientation … to reject people on the grounds of their sexual orientation is a denial of God’s creation."

Wandsworth Preparative Meeting, 1989

Atheist beliefs about sexual relationships differ, according to different understandings of human sexuality. Humanists believe sexual relationships are a matter of personal choice, as long as there is no harm done and everyone involved is happy with the choices being made.
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Some Christians believe sex before marriage devalues God-given sexuality: “But if they can’t control themselves, they should get married, because it’s better to marry than to burn with passion,” (1 Corinthians 7:9).

The Catholic Church teaches that sex should only take place within marriage:

Experience teaches us that love must find its safeguard in the stability of marriage, if sexual intercourse is truly to respond to the requirements … of human dignity."

Catholic document, Persona Humana

Therefore some Christians will choose chastity before marriage:

Marriage should be honoured by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral."

Hebrews 13:4

Many Christians accept that, although marriage is preferred, cohabitation is acceptable where there is faithfulness, loyalty and commitment within a long-term relationship.

Pope Francis teaches that marriage is the appropriate context for sexual relationships, but he has also stated that this is a matter of conscience, rather than a strict rule. He recognises that financial and cultural issues may lead to cohabitation rather than marriage.

Pope Francis has commented on cohabitation. In The Joy of Love (2016)he said: "In such cases, respect can also be shown for those signs of love, which in some way, reflect God’s own love,".

You shall not commit adultery.”

Exodus 20:14

This is one of the Ten Commandments in Christianity.

Faithfulness within marriage is important to Christians. Teachings such as: “But a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so, destroys himself,” (Proverbs 6 :32) support the view that couples should not commit adultery.

Christianity teaches that children are a gift from God: “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him” (Psalm 127: 3). However, some Christians accept there can be psychological, economic, environmental or medical factors that can impact on the decision to have a child and debate whether the use of contraception to prevent pregnancy is acceptable.

Be fruitful and multiply”

Genesis 1:28

The Catholic Church takes this teaching as evidence that God has intended procreation. Many Roman Catholics believe that it is wrong to use any type of artificial contraception because it is not allowing God to work His plans through the couple by allowing the possibility of new life. However, the Roman Catholic Church does allow the use of natural methods.

Other Christians believe that it is acceptable to use contraception and do not accept that every sexual act should lead to the possibility of a child. As humans are made in the image of God, they have autonomy to make their own decisions when it comes to ethical issues such as the use of contraception. For example, many Anglicans and Baptists believe that couples should only have the number of children that they can care for and accept the use of contraception when the couple may not be ready to start or grow a family.

Humanists accept the responsible use of contraception and many will consider the impact of different methods when deciding what's appropriate in the person's circumstance.

Watch the video below to learn more about Christian, Jewish and Buddhist attitudes and teachings towards procreation.

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Remember

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Some Christians will apply the theory of situation ethics when it comes to making ethical decisions in relation to family life.

There are differing thoughts and practices among Christian denominations on the roles of women and men in worship.

The Book of Genesis states that women were created to be helpers: "But for Adam no suitable helper was found…Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man,” (Genesis 2:20-22).

Some Evangelical Christians believe this is evidence that, in worship, men should be the leaders and women should be the helpers. Some Christians also believe that, as Jesus’s twelve disciples were male, this is further evidence that men should lead in Christianity.

Some Catholic and traditional Protestant churches see this quote as further evidence that The Church should be led by men and do not allow women priests:

Women should keep silent in the churches … it is improper for a woman to speak in church."

Corinthians 14:34–35

However, many Christians believe these views do not hold a place in today’s Christian society. They may argue that the Bible was written at a time of male dominated society therefore gender inequality was common. Many Churches today reflect the belief that both men and women were created equally in God’s image, therefore both should have a leading role in worship, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them," (Genesis 1:27).

The Quakers, The Salvation Army and the Anglican Church all allow female ministers and believe that as God loves us all equally, gender in leadership is not important.

Nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 3:28
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