Explain how the rituals and vows connected with Christian marriage ceremonies might influence the differing ways that couples approach marriage and marital breakdown.

We as Roman Catholics should see Marriage as a sacrament (gift from God), which is to be cherished. We see it as something very serious that takes a lot of consideration before we take part in it. We also see it as a joyous occasion where the love between a man and a wife is confirmed in the eyes of God. But we should also realise the rules that come along with marriage and abide by these rules. For Catholics a marriage should be indissoluble, fruitful and we should always remain faithful to our partner.

There are three main signs in a marriage ceremony. The Vows, the rings and the Nuptial blessing. With the vows a couple promises to stay together no matter what 'for better or for worse'. These vows are made in front of God and therefore should be meant sincerely. If a marriage is in trouble the couple should remember these vows and should realise that they must stick with the relationship and get through the hard times. Also as the vows talk about staying faithful, creating a family and giving everything to the relationship, each member of the couple should resist temptation, be there for the other person no matter what and they should at least consider starting a family. The rings are a symbol of love and fidelity. They may help members of the couple if they are tempted to commit adultery as they gave the ring to their partner and swore always to be faithful. Also if the marriage is in trouble the ring can be a symbol of hope, since when it was given, it was received as a sign of everlasting love so the couple may try to rekindle the love they once had for each other instead of just giving up on the relationship. The Nuptial blessing is the third sign. It is to confirm that God has condoned the marriage and that it is a holy relationship, which contains a similar love to that which Jesus has to all people on the earth. This can help couples in times of trouble as they will realise they have a special relationship as this is how God sees their relationship so if they end it they will be going against God's wishes.

Most Christians wish to be married in a church as they are in the presence of God. They feel that because of this they have a special relationship condoned by God, they also feel that because God supports their relationship he will help them through any hard times they may have in their marriage. Also many Christian churches will not recognise a marriage unless it took part within their church and most couples wish to be married in the eyes of the church and God.

The difference between Marriage and all other sacraments is that the priest does not administer it, but the couple. The priest has two roles, a symbolic role and an official role. He is there a symbol of Christ as the couple wishes to get married in Christ's presence. He is also there to show the approval of the relationship by God and the community. His official role is to make sure the couple knows what they are about to commit to and to make sure they know the rules of a marriage and both parties conduct their marriage properly. He also blesses the relationship and can also act as a registrar to make the marriage legal.

The Congregation is present at a ceremony to show that both the bride and groom wish to be married and neither is being forced into the marriage. But they also have another very important part to play, which is to simply join in with the joyous occasion as for the couple, this is probably one of the happiest days of their lives. They are also there, like the priest as representatives of the Christian community in support of the relationship.

In the bible Jesus was strongly supportive of marriage. He showed this by performing a miracle at a wedding feast (John 2:1-11) he was also strongly against divorce as he said 'Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but it was not like this from the beginning. Now I say this to you, the man who divorces his wife- I am not speaking of fornication- and marries another, is guilty of adultery.' (Matthew 19: 3-19). From this stance it is obvious that Jesus considered Marriage very serious and holy and something that should never end and anyone who does end a marriage has committed a moral sin. St Paul believed that marriage was a holy sacrament that was a life long commitment and within this commitment the couple had a duty to reproduce, he also strongly believed a marriage could be the only place ever, where a couple is permitted to have sexual relations.

Christians and especially Catholics take mass very seriously because of the view Jesus and the Old Testament took on the subject. Jesus saw it as a holy sacrament and an everlasting commitment, most Christians take this view also as it is what God had planned a marriage to be for. They also take a marriage very seriously because when they got married they took their vows in a church. This means they promised to love and cherish and always be faithful to their partner, these promises were made in front of God. So breaking these promises and therefore loosing the trust of your partner is seen as breaking promises made to God and loosing his trust because of this. Catholics take a marriage very seriously as if they don't work at it and the relationship falls apart and ends up in a divorce, the Catholic Church will not recognise the divorce. This means you cannot remarry in the church and therefore not in the eyes of God, which most Catholics wish to do. We can see Christians take it very seriously as before a couple marries, many of them take premarital courses to help them with the coming marriage and problems which may occur within it. Also when many Christian marriages are in trouble they seek counselling which shows they take it serious, as they don't just give up when they hit hard times.

For Roman Catholics sex is only right within marriage. Give reasons for your answer, showing that you have thought about more than one point of view.

One of the main reasons the Catholic Church takes this view is that it believes God gave us sex as a means of reproduction. Therefore they believe it is only allowed in a marriage, as this is the only place where a child should be brought into the world, as this is the only place where it can receive proper love and care. They also get their views from St. Paul as he said 'your body you know is the temple of the Holy Spirit. That is why you should use your body for the glory of God.' This meant sex should only be used to create children. Jesus also condemned fornication (sexual relations between a man and a woman who are not married). It is not just intercourse outside a marriage they believe to be wrong, the church takes the view that any sexual act that cannot reproduce is wrong, whether within a marriage or not e.g. mutual masturbation, oral sex and homosexual intercourse.

Another reason they believe sex outside marriage is wrong is because in Genesis it says a man and a woman become one flesh through sex, but this does not apply to non marital sex. They also see sex outside a marriage as cheapening and trivialises an act, which is God's greatest gift to the human race. They also use the modern day problems of transporting sexually transmitted diseases and having unwanted pregnancies.

There are a number of Catholics who go against this teaching of the church. Many Catholics who are in a loving relationship, but not married but have sex. There are also many Catholics who are not married or in a relationship that have sex. They have many arguments for dealing with sex in their own way then the church's way. Those in a loving relationship argue that god gave the human race so that they could openly show love between man and woman. They say that although they are not married they are in love and therefore should be able to physically show their love for one another. They also argue that although they are not married this does not mean their relationship is unstable and that if the female should fall pregnant they can still provide a stable and loving home for the forth-coming child. They argue also, that one of the people may not be ready to get married yet or may not be able to e.g. they have to get a legal divorce from a previous marriage first. Other people argue that in this modern day that sex is no longer holy but a way for two people to pleasure themselves and each other without any strings attached.

I believe that the Church's teaching about sex and marriage is wrong and needs to be changed. I agree with people who argue that sex should be allowed in a non-marital relationship. I do not agree with the church that this cheapens and trivializes the sexual act, but I would be against sex which is not in any form of a loving relationship or casual sex as I believe this does cheapen the sexual act. It also leads to many unwanted children and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.