S17 E3: The One About Theme A - Relationships and Family
- louisajanesmith
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
In this series I am doing a deep dive into AQA Paper 2: Themes. I have done an overview of Paper 2 so if you haven't listened to that one you might want to do that first.
In this episode I will briefly go through all the key content for Theme A Relationships and Family and apply it to 4, 6 and 12-mark questions.
The three focus topics for this unit are;
Contraception.
Sexual relationships before marriage.
Same sex relationships.
But we will also look at;
Human sexuality including: heterosexual
Sexual relationships outside of marriage.
Family planning.
The nature and purpose of marriage.
Same-sex marriage and cohabitation.
Divorce, including reasons for divorce, and remarrying.
Ethical arguments related to divorce, including those based on the sanctity of marriage vows and compassion.
The nature of families, including:
the role of parents and children, extended families and the nuclear family.
The purpose of families, including:
procreation
stability and the protection of children
educating children in a faith.
Contemporary family issues including:
same-sex parents
polygamy.
The roles of men and women.
Gender equality.
Gender prejudice and discrimination, including examples.
4-markers
Explain two different beliefs in contemporary British society about the use of artificial contraception within marriage. In your answer you should refer to the main religious tradition of Great Britain and one or more other religious traditions.
Some Christians believe that it is wrong because it a human preventing life being created
This is because they believe only God should be able to create or prevent life
However, other Christians believe that it is acceptable because it prevents unwanted children
Family planning is seen as a loving action to ensure every child is able to be cared for in a family.
6-markers
Explain two religious beliefs about the role of parents in a religious family. Refer to sacred writings or another source of religious belief and teaching in your answer
Christians believe that one role is to bring their child up in the faith
This means they will take them to Church, teach them how to pray and read the Bible
This is because of the Bible where it says ‘teach your child the way they should go and they will not stray from it’
This quote shows that the hope for parents is that their children will make their own commitment when they are older.
Another role is to provide stability for their family
They can do this by working hard at their relationship to ensure they stay together.
12-marker
‘Divorce is never right.’
Marriage vows are sacred so a Christian believes you can’t break them. The sacred marriage vows say ‘till death us do part’. You have promised God to stay married until death. This means a marriage can only end when one or the other spouse dies, not through divorce. Therefore divorce is always wrong. At the end of the marriage ceremony, it says ‘what God has joined together, let no person separate’ and this is a direct quote from Jesus which some Christians mean that you cannot divorce as God has united you together. Furthermore, Christians believe the role of the family is to provide stability and divorce destabilises the family and society and puts more pressure on resources. This is a strong argument as it is based on the Bible, was reinforced by Jesus and is the official teaching of the Church. It is also a strong argument because the married couple have made serious vows to God so it would be wrong to break them. It is also a strong argument because it is the one held by most Christians worldwide.
However, the law currently allows no-fault divorces. This means anyone can end a marriage legally for ANY reason. If we have a human right to love, get married and have a family as we want, we should logically have the right to not be married. Often married couples drift or grow apart, and everyone would be happier if they were not forced to stay together. This is a strong argument as it creates happiness, is the legal recommendation and is based on human rights - the agreed global standard for what humans should be allowed.
However, Jesus also said; Anyone who divorces his wife (except for immorality) and remarries, commits adultery. So many Christians think it is sometimes acceptable to get divorced if your spouse has had an affair. So adultery would be an acceptable reason for divorce and mean that it is not always wrong. More liberal Christians based their views on compassion and say there are acceptable reasons for divorce. For example abuse or neglect. Taking into consideration the nature of marriage based on the wedding vows, you make sacred promises to love and cherish so if someone is not loving and cherishing their spouse and is actually abusive, it would be the loving and compassionate belief to allow them to divorce. Furthermore, one of the purposes of the family is to protect children, ending an abusive marriage is one way of doing this. In the Church of England you are now allowed to get divorced. This is a strong argument because it is based on the teachings of Jesus in the Bible, is supported by the established Church and also adheres to societies norms around accepting divorce on compassionate grounds.
However, the Catholic Church does allow annulments which is a statement that the marriage was not valid so it can be dissolved without a divorce. This means that a marriage can end without divorce so therefore divorce can still be wrong, but you can still be compassionate to people’s situation through annulment.
In conclusion, I think the strongest argument is to argue against the statement because this is consistent with the recognised authority in Christianity - the Bible and The Church of England. The Bible is not absolute about divorce, whereas the statement is. The Catholic Church allows annulments and Jesus allowed divorce for adultery. As such there is a Biblical basis for divorce. It is also consistent with the ethics based on love in the Bible. As such Divorce is not always wrong, it is sometimes acceptable, particularly if someone has broken a sacred marriage vows and to show love and compassion.
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