Sexual behaviour and Human Relationships The Early Church Roman Catholicism Liberal Protestantism Evangelical Protestantism

“Assess how far religious views on sex are relevant for people today “Assess how far religious views on sex are relevant for people today.” 20 marks.

Roles of men and women in the family Traditional Roles – Men are superior Adam and Eve – Man was created first, Eve created from the rib of Adam as a helper/companion, Eve was the one who disobeyed God first and so is the weaker sex Marriage vows – wife vows to obey her husband, Mary (mother of Jesus) is a role model –often portrayed as a quiet, loving mother. Traditional duties - The wife is to provide secure and loving family home, the husband is the head of the family who sets the rules, Christian behaviours and provides for wife and children by earning the money. St Paul’s Letters Ephesians 5:22-23a “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church” 1 Timothy 2:11-13 “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve.”

Roles of men and women in the family Alternative / Modern View – Men and women are equal Genesis 1:27b “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” - Men and women are different, but equal in the eyes of God. St Paul’s Letters Galatians 3:28 “There is neither…. Male or female….for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” 1 Corinthians 11b-12a “...woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman.” Modern Society – Roles are interchangeable, some women work while the husband looks after the children.

men and women in the Chruch Traditional views – Only men should teach Church Family – one big family, everybody has a distinct role to play 1 Timothy 2:11-13 “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve.” Jesus’ Disciples – Jesus chose 12 male disciples which suggests his intention was for men to take the leading role in the Church. Pope – the Pope has always been male, and Roman Catholics do not permit women to be priests.

men and women in the Chruch Modern /Liberal Views – women can lead the Church Jesus’ Example The picture of Mary, Luke (10:38-42); she is a devoted disciple who ignores the taboos of her society in her commitment to Jesus. Sitting at his feet as a disciple was not the place for a woman, but she is commended by Jesus. Now she acts in an even more scandalous manner in anointing Jesus' feet with extremely expensive perfume and then wiping them with her hair (Jn 12:3). Story of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42) – Jesus encouraged women to learn form him, something women were not usually allowed to do. Jesus’ resurrection appearance – Jesus first revealed himself to a woman, showing he held women in high regard. The Anglican Church and most non-conformist churches will allow women to be ministers and priests.

Civil Partnerships Wrong Sexual Relationships – for marriage only, therefore civil partnerships are wrong Bible passages condemning homosexuality – 1 Corinthians 6:9 “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Neither the sexually immoral…nor homosexual offenders” Vatican 2008 – “Homosexual behaviour is a disordered behaviour. The activity must be condemned” Pope – Homosexuality is a greater problem for the future of the world than climate change. Acceptable Love – another form of loving relationship, allow a blessing ceremony after a civil partnership registration. CoE – varied, some allow blessing, some don’t.

Divorce Most Christians believe: Christian teachings, the marriage ceremony and vows, all show Christians that marriage is intended to be a relationship for life. Marriage is a holy relationship and the vows a couple make are made in front of God and should never be broken: Mark: 10:10-11 “Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate. Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her” The ring is given in the marriage ceremony to symbolise that love is unending and that Jesus taught that marriage is for life. Matthew 5:32 “But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.”

Divorce Roman Catholic – Divorce is WRONG Resolution - Understand not all marriages will work out but that the Church will give the couple support to resolve their differences. Separation - Catholic Church allows couples to separate and live apart. Adultery - It does not allow them to re-marry or have a sexual relationship with anyone else as it would be adultery Annulment - In some cases the Catholic Church can officially annul a marriage, if one of the couple was under-age, forced to marry against their will or unaware of what they were doing due to diminished responsibility. Also if the marriage is not consummated.

Divorce Church of England – Divorce is better AVOIDED, but SOMETIMES acceptable Marriage is for life, but they accept that things may not always work out. The priest will help a couple try to resolve their difficulties. If you are unable to, the Church of England accepts that divorce may be the kindest thing for all concerned as it ends pain. Some believe that marriage ends when the love dies between two people. Jesus taught that the right course of action is the most loving thing to do. Forcing a couple to remain trapped in a loveless marriage would hurt them and everyone in their family, which cannot be right. Jesus lived in a Jewish society almost 2000 years ago, so some believe that it is right to interpret his message in the light of today’s society and permit divorce.

Remarriage Roman Catholics – NOT ACCEPTED Marriage is for life – civil divorce is not recognised by God, will always be married in the eyes of God. Sexual relationships to any partner other than wife will be considered adultery. Church of England – ACCEPTED BY SOME Remarriage in a church, or church blessing following a register office ceremony may be permitted, depending on the vicar. Some vicars do not believe it is right to make promises which have been broken once and so can refuse to remarry a divorced couple. In which case the couple must marry in another church or without a priest. Other Christians - ACCEPTED Jesus taught the importance of forgiveness if someone has made a mistake.

Sexual Relationships Sex in a marriage relationship - ENCOURAGED Sex is a gift from God – it should be enjoyed by a couple as an act of love within their marriage and in order to have children. Sex is a relationship that has been blessed by God, Christians believe that casual sex encounters are wrong. Sex outside of marriage - FORBIDDEN The seventh of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt not commit adultery” - some Christians interpret this as meaning that all sexual activity outside marriage is wrong. Jesus also condemned adultery in the gospels (Mark 10:7-9) – Some Christians (i.e. Roman Catholics and Evangelical Protestants) therefore reject all sexual relationships outside marriage. And believe a person should remain a virgin until they are married and have no other sexual partner during their marriage. The Catholic Church is very clear about sexual relations: “The sexual act must take place exclusively within marriage. Outside of marriage it always constitutes a grave sin”.

Sexual Relationships Sex outside of marriage – ACCEPTABLE IN LOVING/PERMANENT RELATIONSHIP All Christians prefer sexual relationships to take place within a marriage because it provides a stable environment for bringing up children. Jesus taught that love was what mattered most - Some Christians are prepared to accept pre-marital sex as part of a loving relationship is a couple are committed to each other and plan to marry.

Contraception Roman Catholics – WRONG Marriage ceremony states that sex is given to a couple by God so they can have children The act of sex should always be open to God’s gift of a baby. Artificial forms on contraception such as the pill and condoms are forbidden, but natural methods of birth control such as the rhythm method are acceptable Other Christians - ACCEPTABLE Whilst all Christians believe that having children is an important part of marriage, some accept that couples may want to limit the size of their family. Provided both husband and wife agree, most forms of contraception are acceptable. This frees a couple to enjoy a sexual relationship and strengthen their bond without the worry of an unwanted pregnancy. Using contraception to plan the timing of a pregnancy can help ensure that all children in the family are wanted, loved and provided for.

Most Christians – PERMANENT CONTRACEPTION IS WRONG Because the marriage ceremony states that the purpose of marriage is to have children, most Christians do not approve permanent forms contraception, for example sterilisation.

Masturbation/Abortion Roman Catholicism teaches 3 purposes for marriage ‘Fides’ (Faithfulness) ‘Proles’ (Reproduction and ‘Sacramentum’ (2 becoming one flesh). So if an act goes against any of these then it has no moral basis. Liberal Protestantism encourage enjoyment of sex for pleasure rather than just for reproduction. Evangelical Protestantism approach generally more relativist than those of Roman Catholicism yet stricter than more Liberal Protestants.

Libertarian attitudes to sex and relationships Secular/non religious Contractarian: in relation to sex something is allowed if all concerned parties are in agreement Autonomous: not controlled by others or by outside forces Harm Principle: the idea that the purpose of law should be to stop people from harming others (John Stewart Mill)

Libertarian - Evaluation Tolerance Every one involved deal with rightness or wrongness of moral acts, each morally responsible for their own actions Each person an end in themselves, with rights and autonomy But.. Balance of power in relationships not always equal

Feminism & Sexual Ethics Religious & Libertarian approaches fundamentally flawed Religious roles of women being submissive, stay-at-home, child-bearing wives wrong. Male dominance caused huge problems for women and if woman seen as man’s property then he can do what he likes with her. Libertarian presupposes level playing field for both partners, claims this is naive and untrue. Contractarian idea worthless due to social conditioning of women that limits their role in society and culture Martha Nussbaum (1947-) claims men have disempowered women

What do you think? If a woman is a good, moral and honest person who is struggling to support her family, one solution could be to turn to prostitution. She chooses to be a prostitute because of circumstances and still maintains her autonomy. Where is the balance in her relationship with her client? Is it a morally acceptable one?

Questions to answer Does internet pornography harm anyone? Discuss with reference to libertarian approaches and religious perspectives ‘Feminist approaches towards sexual ethics are too reactionary and sexist’ Discuss At least one side A4 for each question

Tasks Read pages 221-234 Answer the exam question at the end of the chapter Checkout ‘Philosophical Investigations’ specifically the handout sexual ethics and make sure you know what each of the theories we’ve studied has to say about sex and relationships

Marriage and marriage ceremonies The couple’s relationship is publicly witnessed by the congregation and marriage register is signed. Marriage is a civil and religious commitment for Christians. It is considered a sacrament in which a baptised man and woman vow to belong to each other in a permanent, exclusive, sexual partnership of loving, mutual care, concern and shared responsibility in the hope of having children and bringing up a family. A sacrament is a religious ritual by which Christians can know God better. Marriage unites two Christian people before God. Marriage is for life. People should have only one wife or husband (monogamy) Sex outside marriage (adultery) is against the 7th of the Ten Commandments. Wife and husband help and support one another. The couple are expected to have children. Love and Sex are important parts of the partnership. Family life is a basis for society.

Marriage and marriage ceremonies