B) Describe the roles of men and women in a Christian family. [5]

•In the past Christians used to believe that men should go out to work while the women stayed at home — this was because of the teaching in the Bible that Eve was made as a helper for Adam. 

 . Nowadays Christians believe that men and women can have the same roles because God created male and female in his image; so women can go out to work while the men become househusbands. 

•The Bible says 'there is neither Jew no greek slave no free male nor female your are all one in Christ Jesus' (Galations 3:28) meaning Christians are free to choose in marriage roles.

•The Bible says Christ is the head of the church just as the Husband is the head of family' meaning leadeship roles in the family must be done by men.

•The Genesis says Eve was made Adams helper but in the psalms it describes God as our helper which means both can help each outer

•Reference to texts; such as 'a wife should learn in quietness and submission' and 'husbands love your wives.

C) Explain Christian beliefs about contraception.

In the past Christians believed it was their duty to have as many children as possible because it is one of the main purposes of marriage, because God told Adam and Eve to go forth and fill the earth.

 However nowadays, many Christians believe that God’s command has been fulfilled because there are billions of people in the world and the people in the third world who have large families are suffering from poverty and disease. Therefore these Christians would agree with the use of contraception. The Bible says love your neighbour and limiting your family size is a way to do this.

 However there are some Christians who believe contraception to be wrong. This is because they believe it encourages casual sex which is wrong because St Paul teaches that the body is a temple for the Holy Spirit.

Also some Roman Catholics still believe that the reason for sex is to make babies and they follow the teachings of the Pope, their leader — God’s representative on earth.  In the teaching of Pope 'every act of sex should be open to the transmission of life'. This is based on the Natural Moral law primary precept that the purpose of sex is to 'preserve the family/species'. 

A) Give two Christian ideas about the use of contraception. [2]

• Catholics believe that contraception is wrong because the Pope said that every baby is a gift from God. 

• The Anglican Church "accepts contraception as a means of enabling a couple to enjoy sex and to take responsibility for the size of their family" 

• Contraception is wrong because one of the purposes of marriage is to have children. 

• 'the primary precept of natural moral law is to preserve life'- abortificant drugs the IUDs contravene this  Exodus 20

B) Describe Christian beliefs about sexual relationships. [5]

•Christians believe people should be married before they have sex and when married they should be faithful to each other as promised in their wedding vows. 

•Some Christians believe that the purpose of sex is to have babies. and that the place to have children is within marriage. Before marriage premarital sex would contravene the commandment 'do not commit adultery' and that Christians should be committed to chastity and abstinence.

Other Christians believe cohabitation meets the requirement for commitment so the Anglican church has agreed to pray for and bless cohabiting couples which is seen as 'a step towards marriage'.

•Reference to texts; such as  -  'All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work"- 2 Timothy 3:16. Generally, Christians believe that sex is a gift from God: "God blessed the man and woman that he had created and told them to be fruitful and increase in number"- Genesis 1:28. The fact that it is a blessing suggests that sex is special and its importance should not be dismissed. It is a gift to be used responsibly and in a loving relationship that is long-term and committed and best established through the marriage vows of fidelity.

C) Explain how a wedding ceremony reflects the Christian beliefs about marriage. [8]

The bride wears a white dress to show her purity; this is because Christians do not believe in sex before marriage. The couple exchange rings to show their everlasting love, because the ring is the shape of a circle, which has no beginning or end, and vow to stay together until death parts them. 

 The vows show the Christian belief that marriage is a sacrament and only God can end it through the death of one of the partners.  For example Christians promise 'till death do us part' and 'to have and to hold for richer for poorer'.  The priest will say Jesus words of Mark 9 'what God and joined together let no man separate'. 

 They get married in a Church because this is God’s house and Christians believe that marriage is a symbol of Christ’s love for his church. Confetti is thrown over the couple to symbolise fertility because of the purpose of marriage is to have children because God told Adam and Eve to go forth and multiply. 

 The father of the bride hands her over to the groom because he has to show he is passing over the responsibility of looking after her. It symbolises the Christian belief that Jesus taught about a man leaving his family to become one flesh and start a new family unit. 

1D) “Only women should be responsible for bringing up the children’ 

Discuss this statement showing that you have considered more than one point of view. (You must refer to religion and belief in your answer.) 

Marks for spelling, punctuation and the accurate use of grammar and specialist terminology are allocated to this question. [15 + 6]

In a Church wedding Christians are told that one of the purposes of marriage is to have children. God told Adam and Eve to go forth and multiply and the Vicar at the beginning of the wedding ceremony tells the couple that marriage is given as the foundation of family life so that children may be born and brought up to love God. However it does not say that this is the woman’s role and hers only. In the past many Christians believed that this was the role of women – not only to bring up the children but to provide comfort and support for her husband. This was partly because of the society in which they lived and in the Jewish tradition women were seen as the home makers and in charge of the children. They and the children were even separated from the men in the Synagogue showing that men were more important in the rule of their religion than in the household. Once a boy had his Bar Mitzvah he was considered a man and allowed to be with his father. So this might indicate that men should leave the bringing up of the children to the wife.

The Bible teaches that Eve’s punishment was to suffer in childbirth and for her husband (Adam) to rule over her. Therefore it could be said that a man would not want to stay at home and do dreary things like washing nappies and dishes but would want to get out of the house and away from screaming babies and as God has said a man should rule over a wife and St. Paul said wives should submit to their husbands. Yet in argument to that Genesis 1 tells Christians that both men and women were made in God’s image and St. Paul said that everyone is the same in the eyes of God therefore it should be a matter of personal choice who brings up the children or that both the wife and the husband have an equal role. But would that work? Sometimes children who do not like the decision of one adult can go to the other in an effort to get a decision overturned so should one of the couple have a more dominant role in the bringing up. I am not sure. The Bible tells us we are all God’s children and we turn to him in times of trouble and he is the authority to which we rely on. So perhaps there should be someone in the marriage who takes on the main authority in the decision making.

Nowadays there are equality laws and men and women have the choice over who should stay at home with the children. I personally think that although the father may be fantastic that sometimes the mother is more important in the early years of a child’s life because the bond between the baby and the mother has been there from conception – the baby grew in the woman’s womb and that bond between them was established. However sometimes the mothers are not very good mothers and it could be said that the father should have the same rights as the mother. Divorced fathers get very upset when they lose contact with their children.

In conclusion I certainly do not agree that only women should be involved in the rearing of children. All children need the values given to them by both mother and father. This makes me wonder what happens in a Civil Partnership when the couple adopt children – which is the mother and which is the father and who is responsible for the children? A Civil Partnership couple would argue that it is both of them and surely a Christian couple would say the same. It is usually a joint decision to have children – a father doesn’t say okay we will have babies and you can bring them up while I go out and have a good time. This surely is why God created man and women – to become one flesh – a new family unit and to bring children up to love and become good Christians because they have inherited the beliefs and Christian values of both their father and their mother. Therefore it is not only the woman who should raise the children but both of the couple because each are of equal value and importance albeit with different input. 

A) Give two Christian ideas about why divorce should not happen. [2]

• Christians believe divorce should not happen because: Marriage is seen as a sacrament which is a holy bond which God has witnessed. Jesus taught that no man should put asunder meaning no-one should break up a marriage.

• Catholics believe divorce is impossible as Marriage is a Sacrament meaning once established it is an 'indissoluble union' (CCC).  Annulment is not divorce but the recognition the marriage was never really properly established.  Legal divorce is seen as a grave moral sin. 

• The Anglican Church discourages divorce given its effects on children and society and encourages the couple through marriage counselling and celebration weeks.

• 'For I hate divorce says the Lord' Malachi 2:16 as it meant poverty and destitution for orphans and widows. 

B) Describe Christian attitudes about re-marriage. [5]

•Since many Christians believe that divorce is wrong they would not agree with re-marriage because once a person has made vows to God they should not break these vows and make them again to someone else. They would argue that what Jesus says in Mark 10: 'what God has joined together let no man put asunder means divorce and thus remarriage undermined 'the sanctity of marriage.

•However some Christians might agree with re-marriage if the person getting married to someone else had to be divorced because of abuse because of Agape or unconditional love. If 

Other Christians such as Methodists believe 'the death of love is the death of the marriage as marriage is an expression of love. That Jesus taught us in John 10:10 - I have come that they may have life and life to the full and if remarriage means greater happiness and love then it should be permitted.

•Reference to texts; such as  -  'do for others as you would want them to do for you' Mat 7.

C) Explain Christian attitudes to the roles of men and women within the Christian family.  . [8]

All Christians believe men and women were 'made in God image' Genesis 1:27 and are of equal value. The Roman Catholic view expressed by the Pope John Paul has said that women can work but 'society should create the social conditions that will enable women to bring up their own children.'

Traditionally Christians used to believe that a woman’s role was in the home looking after the children and her husband while the man went out to work. This was partly because when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden Adam’s punishment was to toil hard and Eve’s punishment was for Adam to rule over her and to suffer in childbirth. 

However nowadays Christians believe in equality because God created Adam and Eve in his image – meaning they have the same importance. However some Christians would not agree with this because they feel that in Genesis 2 Eve is created from Adam’s rib to be a helper to Adam and therefore in a Christian family the man should be the ruler of the household. 

 St. Paul agreed with this viewpoint and said that women should not have authority over her husband. Yet today Christians feel that this is wrong because when the Bible was written women were not considered to be very important therefore they feel that men and women should have equal roles in a Christian family. 

1D) “The main purpose of a Christian marriage is to have children.’ 

Discuss this statement showing that you have considered more than one point of view. (You must refer to religion and belief in your answer.) 

Marks for spelling, punctuation and the accurate use of grammar and specialist terminology are allocated to this question. [15 + 6]

Some Christians might disagree with the statement because they believe that by marrying someone it is showing their love and ability to commit themselves to that person for life. This is shown by getting married in church, under the eyes of God, and receiving his blessing of their union. Jesus said that in the beginning God made male and female to become one flesh — thus showing the importance of the union. During the ceremony the couple promises to have and to hold, which means they will love and cherish each other, until death parts them. For some Christians this means that love is the most important part of marriage because you need love to help you over the difficult times, such as when there is no money, or one of the couple is very ill.

However Christians are taught that there are various reasons or purposes of marriage. St Paul taught that if people have thoughts of desire and cannot restrain themselves they should get married and in the Book of Common Prayer it states that a purpose of marriage is a remedy against sin — to avoid fornication (sex outside marriage). St Paul taught that the body was a temple of the Holy Spirit and since it is a mortal sin to damage the Holy Spirit then people should not abuse their bodies with casual sex.

Another of the purposes of marriage is to have children and to raise them as Christians — to bring them up in the knowledge of God and to love him. When God made Adam and Eve in his image, he told them to go forth and fill the earth — to have lots of babies. Christians believe that having children in a stable relationship is good and that it sets a pattern for society. At the wedding the vicar, in his preface, states that marriage is a sign of unity which enriches society and strengthens community.

Some Christians believe that so much crime, drugs, vandalism and gang behaviour goes on because people have lost sight of good family values and therefore by bringing up children with Christian values this might help to bring society back onto an even keel. I however think this is very naïve because if anyone from school lets it be known they are a Christian they get picked on and bullied and therefore they don’t try and spread their values.

My own view is that the statement is wrong because although children are important — they help seal a relationship — they can also bring unhappiness and conflict in a family and thus break a marriage up. I think for a marriage to survive love is the most important part of a marriage. Love is many things — it can be an expression of your feelings and it can be the instigator of forgiveness when someone does something wrong. St Paul in his letter to the Corinthians stated that out of faith, hope and love, love was the most important thing. I agree with him.

A) Give two Christian ideas about sexual relationships. [2]

• Christians believe that sex should only happen in marriage.  The Anglican Church  however acknowledges that 'cohabitation may be seen as a step towards marriage'.

• Catholic Christians believe that sex should only be done in order to create a baby.  The second precept of Thomas Aquinas Natural Moral Law states we should 'preserve the family/species'  and this reflects the Bibles injunction 'be fruitful and multiply'. 

• Other Christians believe sex can be for pleasure and the unification of a couple.  Jesus commanded his disciples to 'live life fully'.   And Paul said 'if we burn with passion we should marry'. The OT book  the Song of Solomon teaches that intimacy  in the confines of committed faithful monogamy is to be celebrated.  

B) Describe the events in a Christian wedding ceremony. [5]

The couple get married in a Church to receive God’s blessing.  The doors are left open so any one can legally challenge the marriage.  

The couple exchange vows, which are the rules of marriage. They may say for example 'for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health till death us do part'.  

Catholics will also take the sacrement of Eucharist or bread and wine to remind them that the nature of marriage is sacrement 'an outward sign of an inward blessing'. 

 Confetti is thrown over the couple to symbolise that they should have children in response to God’s command to go forth and fill the earth. 

•Reference to texts; such as  - Mark 10 What God has joined toe#gether let no Man put asunder'.

C) Explain Christian beliefs about marriage. [8]

Christians believe there are many purposes to marriage. They believe that people should get married for love and mutual comfort because God created Eve to be a companion for Adam and then he blessed them which some Christians believe to indicate that he married them.

Catholic Christians believe marriage is the place to have and bring up children to learn about and worship God. This is because God told Adam and Eve to go forth and multiply and because it is the second precept of natural moral law to 'preserve the species.' Further Catholics believe Marriage is one of the seven sacrament which are means of grace or 'outwards signs of inward blessings'.

They also believe that marriage is a pattern for society — showing people the right way to behave and that being married stops casual sex and indecent behaviour. They believe this because St Paul told Christians to get married if they could not contain their desires. He also taught that casual sex was wrong when he said that the body is a temple for the Holy Spirit.

1D) “Divorce should never be allowed ’ 

Discuss this statement showing that you have considered more than one point of view. (You must refer to religion and belief in your answer.) 

Marks for spelling, punctuation and the accurate use of grammar and specialist terminology are allocated to this question. [15 + 6]

I think divorce (the legal ending of a marriage) is wrong because my parents have split up and it is very hard trying to keep the peace between the two of them because every time they meet up they are always arguing. However, I think that it is not always wrong because sometimes there can be violence in a marriage and if the children or one of the partners are being hurt then it is probably for the best if there is a divorce.

Roman Catholics always believe divorce is wrong. This is because the couple have been married in the presence of God and marriage is a sacrament — something holy and special to God — God has blessed them. They also make vows to God, themselves and the congregation as witnesses, saying that they will look after each for better or worse, in sickness and in health, until death does part them. A Roman Catholic married couple can decide not to live together if they can’t get on but they are not allowed a divorce. If they do get a divorce the Church still considers them married in the eyes of God — because it is up to God to end the marriage not them. If they enter another relationship with someone else then the Church does not like it and they might be refused Holy Mass.

There are some circumstances when a Catholic marriage can be annulled — this is a special document saying that the marriage was not a valid one. The reasons for this are if one of the couple has been forced into the marriage or did not understand what marriage is about or if one person decides they don’t want children. The couple have to have a legal divorce first before they can apply for an annulment. They are then free to start another relationship.

Other Protestant Christians are more compassionate about divorce and believe that if the marriage is truly unhappy then it is the lesser of two evils for the couple to have a divorce. However, they think the couple should try to resolve their problems through counselling first. The Methodist Church believes that the vows ‘till death us do part’ can refer to the death of the love in the marriage and therefore would support a couple through a divorce. Orthodox Christians allow divorce up to a certain number of times.

Some Christians are confused about divorce because there are contradictory teachings in the Bible. In the book of Micah it says that God hates divorce but in the laws it says a man may divorce his wife if she is unfaithful to him. Adultery is considered to be a sin and against the seventh commandment. In the New Testament Jesus teaches that no man should separate a married couple but he also says that a man is allowed to divorce an unfaithful wife because of what is taught in the laws of Moses.

In conclusion Christians usually consider divorce to be wrong because the couple have made promises to God and he has blessed them but in certain cases, some Churches, allow divorce if it is a matter of showing compassion to the couple. They are practising Christian love — agape.

A) Give two Christian ideas about why re-marriage is considered to be wrong. [2]

• Catholics  believe once a couple becomes married in the eyes of God, it is for life so no remarriage- as a sacrament marriage is a 'indissoluble union' (CCC). 

• The Anglican Church  would be careful about remarriage as if someone has already broken the marriage vows they may do it again so individual vicars can refuse to remarry people. 

B)  Describe the roles of men and women in the Church family. [5]

•Christians believe serving others is the duty of all Christians. Showing love and that both men and woman can do this.

Roman Catholics do not believe that women can be priests in Church since Jesus was a man. They believe instead God created men and women to have different roles. It is argued that it is only natural for a man to celebrate Eucharist as Jesus was a man and said do this in remembrance of me.  Moreover the disciples were men and Jesus said of St Peter 'you are Peter and on this rock I shall build my church' meaning he was the first Pope.

Protestants are more liberal in their ideas and will allow women to be vicars but are not sure about women Bishops. Paul encouraged women leadership when he support the work of Pheobie and Juni.  He argued 'there is neither male nor female are all one in Christ Jesus' Galatians 3:28

 •Some strict protestant Christians believe Paul said 'women should be silent' so cannot lead or teach in the church. That the reason is that women are morally weaker are 'eve ate the apple first and gave to Adam' Paul said 1 Timothy.

 .Other Christians like Methodists believe in equal roles as both men and women were made in Gods image'.

•Reference to texts; such as  Genesis 1:27 or Galations 3:28 .

C) Explain how a Christian wedding ceremony can help a married couple in their marriage. [8]

In a Christian wedding ceremony the couple make their vows before God to love and to cherish until death us do part. This would help them in their married life because they would know that they must keep their promise to God and not break up because the ceremony is so special — it is a sacrament — an outward sign of a spiritual gift from God.

Also in their vows they promise ‘for better or worse, in sickness and health’ and these are like rules, which means if they are having difficulties they can look back on the vows and remember that they should be working at the marriage and not giving up at the first sticky patch. The vows symbolise the belief that marriage is forever.

They exchange rings which are a symbol of their everlasting love. This would help them in their marriage because they could look at their rings and remember the happiness of their love. Also by wearing rings it tells other people they are in a committed relationship and this would help them remember the words of the vicar ‘what God has joined together let no man put asunder’ so they would make every effort not to be led into adultery but to stay faithful to each other and keep their love pure 

1D) “Sex out of marriage is wrong’ 

Discuss this statement showing that you have considered more than one point of view. (You must refer to religion and belief in your answer.) 

Marks for spelling, punctuation and the accurate use of grammar and specialist terminology are allocated to this question. [15 + 6]

Sex out of marriage usually refers to adultery — this is when a person has sex with someone they are not married to. Christians believe adultery is wrong because the seventh commandment states ‘do not commit adultery’. So by committing adultery they are disobeying God. Jesus taught many things about adultery — he said it was not just a matter of doing it but also thinking about it or looking at someone lustfully was just as bad. He also said that if a man divorced his wife and married someone else this was committing adultery. So Jesus was obviously against adultery. Also in a marriage service the couple promise to ‘forsake all others’ so if they break this promise they are in fact lying to God which is against the Ten Commandments (‘do not lie’) and so is a sin.

However sex out of marriage could also refer to the fact that a couple are living together but have not undergone a marriage ceremony. Some Christians would be totally against this because they believe they should be celibate until their wedding night. They would class this as fornication. This is because marriage is seen as a sacrament and the act of marriage is not completely fulfilled until the couple have sex because it says in the Bible that God created man to leave his family and become one flesh, which means to start a new family unit, with his wife. Other Christians would not totally agree with this; some Protestant Christians believe that cohabitation is okay if the couple intend to get married later on and are in a deep committed relationship with each other

Paul taught that the body is a holy temple for the Holy Spirit. So if someone is indulging in casual sex, either adultery or one night stands when not married, this would be abusing the body and also the Holy Spirit. Christians believe to harm the Holy Spirit is a mortal sin and one which can never be forgiven. Paul taught in one of his letters that it is better to get married than indulge in casual sex. However some Christians believe that this idea has been taken out of context and Paul was referring to people who wanted to get married but because the early Christians expected Jesus to return at any time Paul felt that really they should be concentrating on getting ready for heaven but if they truly wanted to have sex then they should get married.

I think that if people make a commitment to marriage then they should stay faithful because otherwise what is the point in getting married at all. If you don’t believe in God and don’t believe that marriage is a ceremony which welcomes the blessing of God, then it doesn’t matter whether you get married or not — after all some people believe it is only a piece of paper. Even so some people still believe in the marriage commitment because it gives them security and might stop people having sex out of marriage. But if you do believe in God and you believe that marriage represents the special relationship between Christ and his Church, then you should not be considering breaking promises of being faithful to your partner and to God. However, the statement said sex out of marriage is wrong — and I wonder perhaps if there may be occasions when perhaps a couple are in a marriage and one of the partners suffers a terrible injury which makes them unable to have a sexual relationship. Perhaps then the other partner should be allowed to seek comfort in the arms of another but still stay married because they still love their husband/wife. But then if they do that they are going back on their vows and after all they did promise for better or worse and therefore they should just put up with the fact they will never have sex again.

A) what is meant by the term contraception. [2]

• A device or method used to prevent pregnancy because of sexual intercourse. 

• These can be natural (e.g. withdrawal) or artificial (e.g condom). 

B)  Describe how Christian beliefs in marriage are shown in the marriage ceremony . [5]

Christians believe marriage is the joining of two different individuals in one union. What Jesus said of this unification is quotes 'For this reason a man shall leave his mother and father and be united with his wife and they shall be one flesh.

The giving of rings which are circular symbolises the eternal love between two people and god .  This act reflects belief that marriage should be life long – belief found in Mk 10:9 “whatever god has joined let no man separate”

The wearing of a White dress is symbolic of purity that the woman should be a virgin on her wedding night. This belief found in Deut 22 where marriage violations emphasis the importance of purity and honor.  This reflects the Christian belief that sex should occur in wedlock as that is the most stable environment for children 

The giving of Vows are promises made to each other and God – promise to (for example) “forsake all others” – shows belief in monogamous marriage – reflects belief that it should be a commuted monogamous relationship with no adultery – a belief found in Ex 20:14 “thou shall not commit adultery” 

Roman Catholics celebrate Eucharist as they believe marriage is a sacrament or means of grace. 

•Reference to texts; such as  Genesis 1:27 or The Wedding at Canna- where Jesus first miracle happened at a Wedding and shows how God wants marriage and sees it as an 'ordinance' first set out in creation in genesis..

C) From two different religions or two religious traditions, explain attitudes towards divorce . [8]

For Roman Catholics divorce is impossible as marriage is understood as a sacrament and teh couple should not break up because the ceremony is so special — it is a sacrament — an outward sign of a spiritual gift from God..  This catechism of the church says 'marriage is an indissoluble union' and the couple who get a divorce are thought of as committing a grave moral sin.Only annulment is allowed which is only the recognition that the marriage did not properly take place and so is nul and void e.g. if it is not consummated is a reason. 

For Biblical Protestants as in a Christian wedding ceremony the couple make their vows before God to love and to cherish until death us do part. This would mean they must keep their promise to God and not break up or they will by judged as being disobedient on.  For them even difficult circumstances are not enough as a reason as in their vows they promise ‘for better or worse, in sickness and health’ and these are like rules, which means if they are having difficulties they can look back on the vows and remember that they should be working at the marriage and not giving up at the first sticky patch. The vows symbolise the belief that marriage is forever. 

Another reason strick protestants believe divorce is wrong is in the wedding they exchange rings which are a symbol of their everlasting love. This would help them in their marriage because they could look at their rings and remember the happiness of their love. Also by wearing rings it tells other people they are in a committed relationship and this would help them remember the words of the vicar ‘what God has joined together let no man put asunder’ so they would make every effort not to be led into adultery but to stay faithful to each other and keep their love pure .

However more liberal Methodist Christians believe that as marriage is the expression of unconditional love or Agape when this love dies between a couple so has the marriage and divorce is seen as sad but necessary.

1D) “Same sex relationships are wrong ’ 

Discuss this statement showing that you have considered more than one point of view. (You must refer to religion and belief in your answer.) 

Marks for spelling, punctuation and the accurate use of grammar and specialist terminology are allocated to this question. [15 + 6]

Roman Catholic would agree that same-sex relationships are wrong as they are considered contrary to 'natural law'. The ROMAN CATHOLIC Catechism teachings this  ‘This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided... Homosexual people are called to chastity. Further that while same sex attraction might be a natural urge like adultery an individual should act on it. Thus the teaching in Catholicism (re-affirmed by Pope Francis) distinguishes between the orientation and the homosexual act (‘hate the ‘sin’, love the ‘sinner’’).

This is a weak argument as natural moral law Jack Dominion argues should apply to people and not bodies. sex is about a person loving a person.

Other more liberal Christians would disagree as there is nothing unnatural about loving someone – God made us in the knowledge that we would love. Jesus speaks of the importance of love., it shouldn’t matter the gender.  QUAKER believe where there is a genuine tenderness, an openness to responsibility, and the seed of commitment, God is surely not shut out. Can we not say that God can enter any relationship in which there is a measure of selfless love? ...To reject people on the grounds of their sexual behaviour is a denial of God's creation.' (Towards a Quaker View of Sex, 1963) 

This is a strong argument as why would God be so cruel to make people feel things that were sinful. God is omnibenevolent and wouldn’t do this .  Simply because a sexual union cannot result in children, it is not right to forbid any action that is a physical expression of genuine love.

More strict protestants also agree as in some of St Paul's letters included in the Bible, he condemns homosexuality as 'unrighteous' and claims that men who practise homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of God because the Bible is the 'word of God' we should accept what it prohibits.  In Genesis 19:4-11 – Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because they were ‘wicked’ and part of this wickedness was homosexuality – therefore same sex rel are wrong Leviticus 20:13 – ‘do not lie with a man as you lie with a woman for it is an abomination’ – therefore homosexuality is wrong. Biblical protestants believe that marriage between a man and woman is ordained by God ‘For this reason a and man shall leave his mother and Father and be united with his wife’ Jesus Matthew 19:5 + Genesis 2:24 and that creating and rearing children which same sex relationships may prohibit. 

This is a weak argument as there is evidence of same sex relationships in the Bilble like david and Jonathan 'your love for me was more wonderful than that of women.  Or of jesus who healed the centurians homosexual partner or 'PIAS'.

on the other hand in the views of some Christian groups (liberal Anglican and Society of Friends - Quakers) same sex relationships can be accepted within a loving relationship.  God is omnibenevolent ‘love thy neighbour as thyself’ Some people believe that St Paul's comments were about male prostitutes, not homosexuality in general. Some deny teh Bible is the word of God and only peoples words about God. They suggest we need to reinterpret the Bible for modern attitudes as times have changed. There are many laws in the Bible that would not be accepted now because the nature of society has changed, eg capital punishment and slavery. We should not be restricted by ancient standards. 

This is a strong argument as same sex couples can raise children in a loving environment, stable.

A) what is meant by the term  . [2]

• A d . 

• These can b  

B)  Describe how Christian beliefs i  . [5]

Christians believ 

•Reference to texts; such as  Genesis 1:27 or The Wedding at Canna- where Jesus first miracle happened at a Wedding and shows how God wants marriage and sees it as an 'ordinance' first set out in creation in genesis..

 C) From two different religions or two religious traditions, explain   . [8]

For Roman Catholics 

For Biblical Protestants as  

Another reason strick protestants believe  

However more liberal Methodist Christians believe t .

1D) “It is difficult to be married to someone from a different religious tradition ’ 

Discuss this statement showing that you have considered more than one point of view. (You must refer to religion and belief in your answer.) 

Marks for spelling, punctuation and the accurate use of grammar and specialist terminology are allocated to this question. [15 + 6]

Roman Catholic would agree that it is difficult as interfaith marriages are considered not sacramental and con only happen with a special dispensation from the Bishop. Many aspects of a religious tradition are practised in the home, e.g. eating a halal diet. Couples would have to decide which traditions to practise.It can present problems regarding which tradition children should follow, e.g. what type of birth ceremony should they have? it can be difficult such as times of festivals or death when there are different customs and rituals.  The ROMAN CATHOLIC teachings generally follow the 'divine law' of St Pauls 1 Corthinan prohibition "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?."  The consensus of the early Church Fathers was that "interreligious marriage undermined the ecclesiological integrity of the Christian community" so that although the Catholic Church recognizes marriages between two non-Christians or those between a Catholic Christian and a non-Christian, these are not considered to be sacramental.  

This is a weak argument as most important consideration for marriage is that a couple are committed to each other. So long as a couple are committed to each other then they can make joint decisions regarding family and home. Children only need security and love - religion doesn't matter.

Other more liberal Christians would disagree as there is nothing essentially wrong with interfaith marriages.  The United Methodist Church authorizes its clergy to preside at interfaith marriages, it notes that 2 Corinthians 6:14 has been interpreted "as at least an ideal if not an absolute ban on such [interfaith] marriages as an issue of scriptural faithfulness, if not as an issue of Christian survival."  Moreover QUAKERS believe where there is a genuine tenderness, an openness to responsibility, and the seed of commitment, God is surely not shut out. Can we not say that God can enter any relationship in which there is a measure of selfless love? ... .' (Towards a Quaker View of Sex, 1963)  They would  say interfaith couples can deepen their own religious understanding by discussing different beliefs and practices. As society becomes more pluralistic there are more interfaith marriages.

This is a strong argument as St Paul says those already in an interfaith marriage (including cases in which there is a non-Christian couple and one party converts to Christianity after marriage), "addresses persons married to unbelievers and encourages them to stay married (see 1 Corinthians 7:12–16)."

More strict protestants also agree with Catholics that interfaith marriage is not just dificult but wrong as in some of St Paul's letters included in the Bible, he condemns  interfaith marriages    The Wesleyan Holiness Association of Churches teaches that "For a Christian to marry an unbeliever is unscriptural. If one does marry an unconverted party and trouble follows, he/she cannot blame God for his/her wrongdoing but must expect to pay the penalty, for the marriage covenant is morally binding so long as both live and, therefore, may not be dissolved at will

This is a weak argument as there is evidence of mixed marriages bewteen Jews and Gentiles in the Bilble.  Paul said there is neither Jew nor gentile you are all one in Christ.  So your faith matters less than your commitment.