Relationships: Family (AQA GCSE Religious Studies B): Revision Note

Catholic approaches to family planning

What are Catholic approaches to family planning?

• The Catholic Church teaches that sex within marriage should be

  • Unitive (bring the couple closer) 

  • Procreative (open to having children); there are rules relating to family planning

• Any approach to family planning must respect God’s purpose for sex

• Some Catholics believe that family planning may be important due to

  • Health concerns with the pregnancy

  • Financial pressures

  • Emotional readiness 

  • Existing family responsibilities

• Family planning shows responsible parenthood, not rejection of children

• Natural Family Planning (NFP) is permitted for Catholic Christians

  • NFP involves:

    • Observing the woman’s fertile cycle

    • Choosing when to have sex to plan or avoid pregnancy

    • Importantly, there are no artificial methods used

• There are many reasons why NFP is considered acceptable for Catholics

  • This process works with natural fertility

  • It also does not block conception

  • It encourages communication and self-control

  • And it keeps sex open to the possibility of life

• Artificial contraception is not allowed for Catholic Christian couples

  • This includes condoms, the pill and intrauterine devices (IUDs)

  • Catholics reject artificial contraception for different reasons

    • It artificially blocks conception

    • It separates sex from procreation

    • It also goes against God’s Natural Law

The nature and purpose of the family

What is the nature and purpose of the family in the Catholic Christian tradition?

• In the Catholic Church, the family is seen as a God-given institution based on marriage

• The nature of the family for Catholic Christians is:

  • One that is founded on marriage between a man and a woman

  • Lifelong and stable

  • A place of love, care and commitment

  • Viewed as a domestic church (a small community of faith)

• In the Catholic Church, the family has many important purposes

  • The family is a place for procreation and for nurturing children

    • Families should be open to having children

    • Parents have a duty to care for children and to educate them in faith and morals

  • The family is also a place where love and support are provided

    • Families should provide emotional support, stability and a safe environment

    • This reflects Christian teaching to love one another

  • The family should be a place where the Catholic faith is passed on

    • Parents are viewed as the first teachers of faith

    • Families pray together and attend Mass

  • Growing up as part of a Catholic family helps with a child’s moral and social development

    • Children learn right and wrong

    • They also learn respect and responsibility

    • It also prepares individuals for life in society

Roles and responsibilities within the family

What are the roles and responsibilities within the family in the Catholic Christian tradition?

• The Catholic Church teaches that the family is a domestic church where faith, love and moral values are lived out daily

• Family life should reflect love, respect, responsibility and mutual support

• Parents have a particular responsibility within the family in the Catholic Christian tradition

  • Catholic parents have a duty to love and care for their children

  • They must also provide stability and security

  • It is a parent’s responsibility to teach children right from wrong

  • They should also bring children up in the Catholic faith

  • Parents are seen as the first teachers of faith

• Children also have roles and responsibilities within the family

  • Children are expected to respect and obey their parents

  • They should show love and gratitude

  • They must also learn moral behaviour and faith

  • This helps create harmony and respect within the family

• The Book of Ephesians provides guidance for Catholics and is seen as a key source of wisdom about mutual responsibility within the Christian family

• This means that family relationships should be based on mutual respect

• It also means that authority should never involve abuse or domination

• Catholics understand this to mean that children should respect parental authority

• Parents interpret this as meaning that they must act with love, patience and fairness and that discipline should be caring, not harsh

• The Book of Ephesians represents a traditional structure, but the Catholic Church teaches the following today

  • Men and women are equal in dignity

  • Family roles should be based on love and cooperation

  • All family members deserve respect

• These teachings matter to Catholics for many reasons

  • They promote stable and loving families

  • They encourage responsibility and care

  • They should also protect children from harm

  • They reflect Christian values of love and respect

Catholic teaching on the dignity of work in the home

What are the Catholic teachings on the dignity of work in the home?

• The Catholic Church teaches that all work has dignity, including unpaid work in the home

  • Work in the home includes raising children, caring for family members, housework and daily responsibilities

  • This work is valuable because it serves others and supports family life

• There are many reasons why work in the home has dignity for Catholic Christians

  • Catholics believe that God is the Creator and that human work continues God’s creation

  • Work in the home helps families flourish and is, therefore, God-given and meaningful

  • Catholics believe that people are more important than profit

    • Catholic teaching stresses that human dignity comes before money

    • Work is for the good of people, not just as income

    • This means unpaid work, such as parenting and caring, is equally valuable to paid employment

  • Catholics understand the importance of supporting family and society

    • Work in the home creates a loving and stable family

    • It supports children’s emotional and moral development

    • It also benefits society as a whole

  • Work in the home reflects Catholic beliefs in equality and shared responsibility

    • The Catholic Church teaches that men and women have equal dignity

    • It also teaches that responsibilities in the home should be shared fairly

    • No one should be undervalued because their work is unpaid

  • The importance of work in the home is linked to key Catholic principles of human dignity, love and service and the common good

Different perspectives on contraception, same-sex and single parents

What are the different perspectives on contraception?

• The Roman Catholic Church teaches that

  • Sex within marriage should be unitive and procreative

  • Artificial contraception (for example, condoms and the pill) is not allowed

  • Only NFP is allowed

• This is because artificial contraception blocks the possibility of life

  • This goes against Natural Law (God’s purpose for sex)

• Many other Christians accept contraception to support responsible parenthood and to protect the health and well-being of families

  • Other Christians may believe that contraception is a personal choice and that it is important for equality and freedom

What are the different perspectives on same-sex relationships within Catholic Christian belief and practice?

• Catholic teaching makes a clear distinction between same-sex attraction and same-sex sexual acts

  • Same-sex attraction is not considered sinful, but same-sex sexual acts are considered wrong

• Catholicism teaches that same-sex parents should be treated with respect, compassion and sensitivity

  • However, the Church teaches that the ideal family is based on marriage between a man and a woman

• Other Christian denominations may accept same-sex relationships and support same-sex parenting

  • They may argue that love and care matter more than gender and that same-sex parents can provide stable families

What are the different perspectives on single parents within Catholic Christian belief and practice?

• The Catholic Church supports and values single parents

  • It teaches families to show love and care, not judgment

• However, Catholics believe that the ideal family is based on marriage

  • So, a family unit made up of parents who are married is the ideal

• All families, though, deserve support and dignity

• Other Christians (and non-religious people) fully accept single-parent families

  • There may be an emphasis on love, stability and responsibility over structure