Social Responsibility

Marriage

Monogamy - The state in which an individual is only having a sexual relationship with one partner or only being married to one partner

Serial Monogamy - The state in which an individual has had a series of long term sexual relationships, one at a time. It could alternatively mean that you have married multiple times.

Polygamy - The custom enforced is some areas which allows an individual to legally marry more than one partner

Cohabiting or living together?

Cohabitation is when a man and woman live together in a sexual relationship without being married to one another

Liberal:

• You can find out what other partner is like
• You can easily leave other person compared to when married
• Wedding can be expensive (£8000)
• An individual may want to enjoy themselves with some commitment but not a permanent commitment

Conservative:

• Marriage is supposed to be a permanent commitment to the other person which ensures the partner of enduring love and loyalty
• Children need to be raised in a stable family “love thy neighbour”
• Marriage is the traditional teaching of Christianity
• Statistically people who lived together before marrying are more likely to have their marriage broken down
• Cohabitants tend to have less rights than married couples

Living together but not married should be accepted by Church?

+ “anyone without sin, cast the first stone”
+ People should be guided “ Love thy neighbour”
+Jesus was regularly seen with sinners such as Prostitutes and Tax collectors
Couple may be homosexual –
A civil marriage ceremony may be considered by couples who don not have religious beliefs or maybe because it is usually cheaper and can also be used if the Church refused remarriage

Civil Partnerships

A civil partnership is the official registration of a same sex relationship that gives the couple rights like those of married couples.
Civil Partnership act came into force on the 5th December 2005. It enables gay couples to obtain legal recognition of their relationships and be able to have equal treatment to married couples when it comes to legal matters.
The CPA has brought some benefits to homosexuals which is accepted by Christians
• Providing Structure and Stability for same sex relationships in wider society
• Giving protection and rights to same sex partners
Homo sexuality is against traditional Christian conservative beliefs
• Civil partnerships may threaten the special role of Marriage
• Children should be raised by a married man and women but Civil Partnerships mean it is possible for children to be raised in same sex couples
• Can’t fulfil go forth and multiply
• “A man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife”
• Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve
• “Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.”

In favour:
• As long as they do not engage in sexual acts, it is fine (however marriage should have sex)
• Loving faithful committed homosexual relations are as good as heterosexual ones
• God made homosexuals in a certain way for a reason

Christians view on Marriage

Marriage has to do with peoples relationships with each other and with God.  They should:
• “become one flesh”
• “they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate”
• Be Monogamous- between one man and one woman
• Be Heterosexual
• Be Publicly acknowledged
• Be a sexual union “One Flesh”
• Be life-long
• “Be fruitful and increase in number”

Christian wedding ceremony

1. Introduction to Christian marriage and questions asked in order to assure lawful marriage
2. Special promises of vows which the bride or groom have to make in order to commit themselves to each other
3. Giving and receiving ring
4. Official statement that the bride and groom are now married
5. Prayers and blessings said for the couple and the whole congregation
6. Signing of the Marriage register and receiving the marriage certificate

Catholic wedding asks:

• “give yourself to each other in marriage”
• “ready to love and honour each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?”
• “Are you ready to accept children lovingly from God”

Church of England:

• Marriage is about sharing life completely with partne
• Deeping love by having sex together
• Having children and caring for them as God wants

Nupital Mass - Not compulsory however Catholics couple may do it. In a nuptial Mass, the parts of the wedding ceremony are combined with the usual order of mass.

Eastern Christian Marriage

1. Begins at door of church and rings are exchanged
2. Scriptures are read at centre of the church
3. Couple hold lighted candle to show that they are in presence of Christ
4. Crowns are put on the heads of couple to show that theire family are an image of the kingdom of God, it also shows that their killing their own selfish desires
5. Prayers are said while wine is drunk as a symbol of unity
6. Priest joins the hand and walks the couple around the table in step 2 which symbolizes athe everlasting nature of the sacrament of marriage.

Ideal of marriage

• Love between husband and wife is a sign of love of God
• Should be permanent similar to how Gods love has no end
• Life-Giving, like the love of God who creates the world
• An exclusive marriage in which husband ad wife remain faithful to one and other like God is faithful and keeps his promises

Shown in vows:

• “till death do us part”
• “according to Gods holy law”
• “to love and to cherish”

Rings symbolize, the promise given to one another and the belief that marriage cannot be ended except by death, similar to how a ring has no ends.

Marriage is one of the 7 sacraments

What does marriage mean?

Sacrament - usually Roman Catholic showing something made by god which can not be dissolved

Contract - an agreement between two people to do something (the view of the law)

Covenant - similar to contract however the contract is drawn up in the sight of God

Choice of Spouse

Not arranged but parents of an individual believe their child has the knowledge to make a wise decision

Mix-raced marriage

"You are all one in Jesus Christ" suggesting we are all equal however some conservatives may want to marry someone of the same declension

Divorce

Protestant church- divorce is fine if marriage has broken down

The Catholic Church - divorce between to baptised people is wrong. "What god has joined together, let man not separate... Anyone who divorces his wife and Mary's another women commits adultery against her"

Orthodox Church - the church has the authority to end marriages and it does. They think that divorce isn't ideal but can be allowed if repair isn't possible. They believe in "till death do us part" marriages however they understand we are weak and commit sins

Separation 

Separation could be a temporary measure but better than rushing into a permanent divorce. Separation can be permanent. The Catholic Church prefers permanent separation rather than divorce when the wife is being continuously abused or adultered against and cannot tolerate the pain no more. The separated couple are still married however and should remain celibate. In orthodox churches they encourage divorce rather than permanent separation if one part completely shattered the relationship

Annulment 

Catholic Church doesn't permit divorce and therefore this statement can be made which suggests that a couple did not validly marry despite the sayings of the vow, remarriage is then allowed. Annulment is acceptable if one

Fails to 

• remain faithful
• Have children
• Make marriage a life long union
• Have the maturity to understand what marriage involved
• Freely accept marriage

Annulment differed from divorce as Catholics believe the couple were never properly married

Divorce

Check for attached

Remarriage

Orthodox Church - does do divorces and permits remarriage. The service for the second marriage is different to the first in the way that they remove joyful parts of the ceremony to show that the second marriage will not be as good as the first.

Anglican Church - Accepts divorce bug only started accepting remarriage in 1981 but only if it is acceptable and there is permission from the bishop. Many bishops re reluctant to allow remarriage.

Protestants such as Methodists accept divorce and remarriage. They believe a persons mistake shouldn't count against then and they should have another opportunity to remarry.

Catholic Church only accepts remarriage if an individuals partner has died , any other remarriage is regarded as adultery How about after an Annulment

Helping marriages in trouble

Local minister will pray for them
They will teach the couple about the ideals of marriage
• Help a couple understand their own relationship and skills required to make it successful

Practical help to eradicate problem behind the marriage e.g. alcohol

Offer marriage guidance and counselling support such as CMAC


Christian views on marriage and divorce

Marriage is when to people become “one flesh”, their union is supposed to be a permanent bond “till death do us part”. The marriage signifies the deep moral, emotional and spiritual union. Whenever the commitment is destroyed, the marriage ceases to be a true marriage.

Prejudice and Discrimination

TYPES:

Age
Social class
Colour
Nationality/race
Religion
Gender/sex
Disability
Appearance

Origins of Prejudice

Parents - accept parents views from a young age, and fail to drop them later in life
Ignorance- once we know those against whom we are prejudiced, we often recognise we have a prejudice against them

Pride - I am more important than other people. I appreciate the people in my groups as we all think those in other groups are inferior to us

If asked, please do write ignorance

Consequences of Prejudice and Discrimination

Anger and revenge - we might as well discriminate those who discriminate us

Inferiority and antagonism - we may feel less important or intelligent than those who have discriminated us

Alienation - if the people hating belong to the majority of the nation, we may feel we don't belong to that nation. We may feel ambivalent in the way that we were born in this country and therefore belong to it however people may make us feel like a foreigner and therefore we may feel no attachment to the country

Christian views on hatred

We are all equal in the sight of God- "for you are all one in Jesus Christ".
Human rights of equality
Can lead to tension or violence
Jeuses views such as good Samaritan and healing a female

Christians believe there's a defect in our nature. God made us but something went wrong in the way that we think dispassionately of each other. Treat others to suit our own selfish views. This is sin. The only way we can overcome this sin is by the power of God. This power is only available through the death and redirection of Jesus Christ. Christians believe we should follow the example of Jesus as he rejected the prejudices of his day and he accepted all who came to him.

Jesus on various views of Discrimination

Race - Jesus helped a Jew in the story of the Good Samaritan. And a roman NCO who sent Jewish elders to him
Sexism - Jesus healed a women's daughter in Tyre and said faith cured her

What are Christians doing about racism

Teaching of the bible is out to action by churches
- welcoming all races
- accept anyone to become clergyman/bishop
- take lead in fighting discrimination
-preaching the universality of the church
-sanctuary may protect those who are wanted by Police for no apparent reason

Christian views on sexism?

Allowing women into church as lay people and religious nuns
Involve women fully in church
Use non sexist vocab e.g. "people created the world" rather than "man created the world"
“I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man”
Orthodox and Catholic Church does not allow women as priests or ministers.

Catholic Churches permission for women 

YES: Read from bible, lead the prayers, lead the singing, help to explain the service, act as stewards collecting money
NO: Be priests, read the gospels out loud, serve the priest at the alter ,listen to confessions, pardon sins

How we are expected to respond to discrimination

• “Love thy neighbour” and “love God”
• Duty to help the disadvantaged
• Follow Jesus in the way he helps the disadvantaged
• Accept anyone into Church
• Join communities which support the disadvantaged