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• Christianity teaches that the Church should be the foundation of family 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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Exam top tip

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For your exam, it is important to know the definitions of key terms.

Take our quiz below to test your knowledge.

Whilst Catholic and Orthodox Christians describe marriage as a sacrament, all Christian denominations share in ideals of marriage such as faithfulness, a permanent union, a blessing from God and the importance of being married for raising children.

Some Christian denominations differ in the way the wedding service is conducted, but all emphasise the couple coming together spiritually and saying vows before God.

Christian wedding services often share similar practices, for example wedding vows and the exchange of rings.

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," (Matthew 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

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.

You shall not commit adultery."

Exodus 20:14

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.

Civil partnerships can be undertaken by same-sex couples following the law enacted in 2005 and different sex couples since the law allowed it in 2019. Civil partnerships are different to marriage but do generally give the couple the same rights as married couples. Civil partnerships are not performed in Catholic and Church of England churches but some Church of England or non-conformist Churches will carry out a civil partnership blessing in church.

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. Some churches accept and welcome same-sex couples for example the United Reformed Church, which will conduct same-sex weddings.

Other Christians accept that monogamous homosexual relationships can have the same values that are central to a Christian marriage and argue that it is not right to deny these 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
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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 whether a child should be born and debate whether the use of contraception to prevent pregnancy is acceptable.

The Catholic Church takes the teaching from the Bible that states: “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28) as evidence that God has intended procreation and therefore no artificial contraception is permitted. Aquinas’ Natural Moral Law theory, which is followed by many Catholics, states in one of the Primary Precepts that it is an important responsibility for humans to reproduce.
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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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