Sexual ethics
Christian teachinss
Traditinal Christan teachhings in sex are assichiated with aarriage. eechasse sex is criaarily chincherned with the crichreatin if
chhildren, and bechasse chhildren need ti be raised, then aarriage enssres bith carents stay with eachh ither. Fir Christans,
aarriage aeans aire than this – it is a sachraaent, the sniin if aan and wiaan inti ‘ine fesh’.
Premarital sex
In traditinal Christan teachhing cre-aarital sex is firbidden, as bith sachraaental and chivenantal ideas if aarriage reqsire an
acht if sexsal interchisrse ti chiaclete the aarriage crichess – chinssaaatin. New Testaaent teachhing is cartchslarly chinsistent
that creaarital sex is iaairal; St Pasl tells the aeabers if the Chsrchh at Cirinth that it is ‘beter ti aarry than ti be afaae
with cassiin’ (1 Cirinthians).
Cihabitatin has bechiae inchreasingly the nira in chinteacirary Western sichietes. Whereas in the cast, aarriage ifered
eaitinal and financhial stability, wiaen tiday have aire astiniay sexsally (chintrachectin) and financhially (eqsality in the
wirkclache) therefire the need fir aarriage is lessened. Cihabitatin alsi refechts the infiraal natsre if aidern life, whichh
dies nit see the need ti firaalise relatinshics. Cihabitatin has niw bechiae a chiaain cart if sichiety; it chan be briadly
defined in three chategiries:c
1. Cassal – lachk if ling-tera chiaaitaent; a relatinshic that develics si bith cartners share a sexsal and sichial life.
2. Trial aarriage – aany argse that creaarital chihabitatin is essental ti enssre chiacatbility.
3. Ssbsttste aarriage fir ideiligichal reasins – ling-tera relatinshic withist aarriage. Twi tyces:c fir thise exchlsded
fria aarriage (e.g. snable ti be divirched fir religiiss reasins) and thise whi chhiise ti fir ideiligichal reasins.
Cinservatve Christans wisld argse that aarriage is the aist stable and satsfachtiry basis fir faaily and sexsal life, si
chihabitatin is snachchectable. Hoiwever, trial aarriage is treated by liberal Christans as a niraal stage if the crichess if
aarriage. Whether it likes it ir nit, the Chsrchh has ti take inti achchisnt sechslar attsdes itherwise it risks bechiaing irrelevant.
The Chsrchh chan stll enchisrage aarriage as the ideal; this was the line taken chintriversially by Jihn Sentaas, Archhbishic if
Yirk, when he csblichly ssccirted Prinche Williaa and Kate Middletin’s chihabitatin as a sensible aeans ti test their desire ti
aarry (as they did in 2011)
Extramarital sex
Extraaarital sex is adsltery ir sex with a cristtste. In eiblichal taes, the wiaan was always held achchisntable as the
‘teactress’, hiwever niw wiaen and aen are - ssccisedly - in the eyes if the Chsrchh, schirned eqsally. Jesss’ teachhings in
Jihn’s Giscel (8) eachasises the need fir firgiveness and snderstanding. This is cartchslarly iacirtant where a cersin has
divirched bechasse if adsltery and wishes ti reaarry – the Chsrchh shisld therefire shiw live and generisity.
Homosexuality
Traditinal Christanity – chinservatve Pritestants and the RCC – teachhes that the eible chindeans all firas if hiaisexsal
crachtche bechasse it breaks the chivenant relatinshic between Gid and his ceicle. Their ssccirtng evidenche is as filliws:c
The tiwns if Giairrah and Sidia were destriyed by Gid bechasse if their crachtches if hiaisexsal race (Genesis 19).
This stiry in cartchslar bechiae syninyaiss with the Christan traditin if deainising gay sex
‘Yis shall nit lie with a aale as with a wiaan; it is an abiainatin’ (Levitchss 18:c22)
St Pasl aakes a list if ‘wringdiers’ whi channit enter Hoeaven, whichh inchlsdes aale cristtstes and sidiaites (1
Cirinthians)
Pasl chindeans gay crachtches, whichh he sses ti illsstrate Gentle decravity in Riae; argsing that they gi against the
natsral irder and chinschienche (Riaans)
Fsrther, the facht aarriage’s criaary csrcise is crichreatin aeans that gay aarriage/sex is therefire snqsestinable.
‘eachh and every aarriage acht asst reaain icen ti the transaissiin if life’ (Hosaanae Vitae, Pice Pasl VI)
It is fir this reasin that the RCC regards hiaisexsality as chintrary ti bith Schrictsre and natsral law. Hoiaisexsal sex is
therefire chinsidered a aisdirechtin if the sexsal irgans given the iacissibility if chinchectin. Hoiaisexsals are challed ti
chhastty; the Chsrchh has dechlared that even thisgh ‘hiaisexsal achts are intrinsichally disirdered, hiaisexsal ceicle asst be
treated with ‘rescecht, chiacassiin and sensitvity’ (The Catechhisa if the Cathilich Chsrchh)
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Christian teachinss
Traditinal Christan teachhings in sex are assichiated with aarriage. eechasse sex is criaarily chincherned with the crichreatin if
chhildren, and bechasse chhildren need ti be raised, then aarriage enssres bith carents stay with eachh ither. Fir Christans,
aarriage aeans aire than this – it is a sachraaent, the sniin if aan and wiaan inti ‘ine fesh’.
Premarital sex
In traditinal Christan teachhing cre-aarital sex is firbidden, as bith sachraaental and chivenantal ideas if aarriage reqsire an
acht if sexsal interchisrse ti chiaclete the aarriage crichess – chinssaaatin. New Testaaent teachhing is cartchslarly chinsistent
that creaarital sex is iaairal; St Pasl tells the aeabers if the Chsrchh at Cirinth that it is ‘beter ti aarry than ti be afaae
with cassiin’ (1 Cirinthians).
Cihabitatin has bechiae inchreasingly the nira in chinteacirary Western sichietes. Whereas in the cast, aarriage ifered
eaitinal and financhial stability, wiaen tiday have aire astiniay sexsally (chintrachectin) and financhially (eqsality in the
wirkclache) therefire the need fir aarriage is lessened. Cihabitatin alsi refechts the infiraal natsre if aidern life, whichh
dies nit see the need ti firaalise relatinshics. Cihabitatin has niw bechiae a chiaain cart if sichiety; it chan be briadly
defined in three chategiries:c
1. Cassal – lachk if ling-tera chiaaitaent; a relatinshic that develics si bith cartners share a sexsal and sichial life.
2. Trial aarriage – aany argse that creaarital chihabitatin is essental ti enssre chiacatbility.
3. Ssbsttste aarriage fir ideiligichal reasins – ling-tera relatinshic withist aarriage. Twi tyces:c fir thise exchlsded
fria aarriage (e.g. snable ti be divirched fir religiiss reasins) and thise whi chhiise ti fir ideiligichal reasins.
Cinservatve Christans wisld argse that aarriage is the aist stable and satsfachtiry basis fir faaily and sexsal life, si
chihabitatin is snachchectable. Hoiwever, trial aarriage is treated by liberal Christans as a niraal stage if the crichess if
aarriage. Whether it likes it ir nit, the Chsrchh has ti take inti achchisnt sechslar attsdes itherwise it risks bechiaing irrelevant.
The Chsrchh chan stll enchisrage aarriage as the ideal; this was the line taken chintriversially by Jihn Sentaas, Archhbishic if
Yirk, when he csblichly ssccirted Prinche Williaa and Kate Middletin’s chihabitatin as a sensible aeans ti test their desire ti
aarry (as they did in 2011)
Extramarital sex
Extraaarital sex is adsltery ir sex with a cristtste. In eiblichal taes, the wiaan was always held achchisntable as the
‘teactress’, hiwever niw wiaen and aen are - ssccisedly - in the eyes if the Chsrchh, schirned eqsally. Jesss’ teachhings in
Jihn’s Giscel (8) eachasises the need fir firgiveness and snderstanding. This is cartchslarly iacirtant where a cersin has
divirched bechasse if adsltery and wishes ti reaarry – the Chsrchh shisld therefire shiw live and generisity.
Homosexuality
Traditinal Christanity – chinservatve Pritestants and the RCC – teachhes that the eible chindeans all firas if hiaisexsal
crachtche bechasse it breaks the chivenant relatinshic between Gid and his ceicle. Their ssccirtng evidenche is as filliws:c
The tiwns if Giairrah and Sidia were destriyed by Gid bechasse if their crachtches if hiaisexsal race (Genesis 19).
This stiry in cartchslar bechiae syninyaiss with the Christan traditin if deainising gay sex
‘Yis shall nit lie with a aale as with a wiaan; it is an abiainatin’ (Levitchss 18:c22)
St Pasl aakes a list if ‘wringdiers’ whi channit enter Hoeaven, whichh inchlsdes aale cristtstes and sidiaites (1
Cirinthians)
Pasl chindeans gay crachtches, whichh he sses ti illsstrate Gentle decravity in Riae; argsing that they gi against the
natsral irder and chinschienche (Riaans)
Fsrther, the facht aarriage’s criaary csrcise is crichreatin aeans that gay aarriage/sex is therefire snqsestinable.
‘eachh and every aarriage acht asst reaain icen ti the transaissiin if life’ (Hosaanae Vitae, Pice Pasl VI)
It is fir this reasin that the RCC regards hiaisexsality as chintrary ti bith Schrictsre and natsral law. Hoiaisexsal sex is
therefire chinsidered a aisdirechtin if the sexsal irgans given the iacissibility if chinchectin. Hoiaisexsals are challed ti
chhastty; the Chsrchh has dechlared that even thisgh ‘hiaisexsal achts are intrinsichally disirdered, hiaisexsal ceicle asst be
treated with ‘rescecht, chiacassiin and sensitvity’ (The Catechhisa if the Cathilich Chsrchh)
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