Explain what Christian teachings might be used in a discussion about sex and marriage?

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Explain what Christian teachings might be used in a discussion about sex and marriage?

Marriage and sex have always been an area of discussion within the Christian faith. The interpretations of the Bible vary quite considerably from denomination to denomination. These different interpretations have been the cause of debate as to what marriage means and what the purpose of sex is.

In the Roman Catholic following, the term marriage can be defined as a vocation and a sacrament. A vocation can be seen as a calling from God, meaning that it was God that drew the two together as a couple and their own love then led to marriage. A sacrament can be defined as an outward visible sign of an inward invisible grace, i.e. God is changing you from inside.

        The Baptist church believes that although the couple say the vows and words during the service, it is actually God that is carrying out the marriage.

        In the Church of England the act of marriage is conducted by a vicar, this is  seen to be an act of remembrance that marriage is a gift from God and the vicar is a messenger of this religious gift

        

The Methodists believe that marriage is the will of God. This can be seen from the following Bible quote:

        God created man in the image of himself,

        In the image of God he created him,

        Male and female he created them.

                                                        (Genesis 1: 26-27)

Although this is not specifically a Methodist quote, it is used quite widely within the Methodist’s teachings.

Christians believe, as a group, that marriage serves many purposes. The most obvious is to build a relationship further than just an unmarried couple could. This is built through living together and sharing everything. This does not mean that marriage is just a form of religious co-habitation. It is a lot deeper than that. Living together is just a very small part of marriage. Marriage can provide more than a strong relationship, it forms a bond in which the couple have a duty to ensure the other person’s happiness and to stay with each other through anything, good or bad. The marriage service from the Book of Common Prayer illustrates this(this rite is widely used by several Christian churches):

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        I N. take thee N. to be my wedded wife/husband,

        To have and to hold from this day forward,

        For better, for worse,

        For richer, for poorer,

        In sickness and in health,

        To love and to cherish,

        Till death do us part,                        (Book of common prayer)

These vows state that the couple should love and support each other no matter what the condition of their health or financial status. These vows bind the couple together for the rest of their life. However many couples do not stick to these vows and many of these marriages that are not committed ...

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