Christianity & the Importance of the Family (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B)

Procreation, Security & Education of Children

The Importance of Family Life within Christianity

• For most Christians, family is an important part of Christian life

• Christian teachings refer to God as the Father, creator, and sustainer of all living things 

  • Many Christians see this as evidence that family relationships reflect God’s parental care for all humanity and that the family unit is important for society, as well as the Christian faith

• Christians can look to the Bible for guidance on relationships with their family members

  • For example, the Ten Commandments instruct Christians to appreciate and respect their parents, ‘Honour your father and your mother’ (Exodus 20:12)

Different Types of Families

• Many different types of families exist within society today

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The Purpose of Family Life within Christianity

• Family life is very important within Christianity for many reasons

  • To provide a secure environment for family through marriage

    • Many Christians believe that marriage is a commitment for couples to love and support each other and share in the care and upbringing of children

    • As Jesus said: ‘Love one another: just as I have loved you’ (John 13:34)

  • To have children (procreate) 

    • In Genesis, God tells a man to be with his wife and as a couple to have children: ‘Be fruitful and multiply’ (Genesis 1:28)

    • Many Christians understand this verse to be a command to leave their parents, get married and then have children in that order

  • To raise children in the Christian faith

    • Verses such as: ‘Start children off on the way they should go’ (Proverbs 22:6) encourage Christians to bring their children up in their faith

    • Depending on the denomination, this may include: Baptism, Holy Communion, Confirmation and reading the Bible

Divergent Christian Responses to Different Family Types

Family life for non-religious families

• Family life is very important to people regardless of whether they are religious or not

• Falling in love and having children is a goal in life for most people

• The purpose of family life is to bring up children in a safe and secure environment, pass on moral values and to provide emotional and financial support

• The importance of family life to non religious people can be seen in the same way where family members want to help in times of need, regardless of religious commitment

• Non religious families also come together at times like Christmas just as much as religious families

Different Christian Attitudes to Family Life

• Some Christians believe that the purpose of the family is to:

  • Provide love and security

  • Make sure that children are educated to think for themselves so that they can make up their own minds about religion when they are old enough

    • These Christians believe it is not the role of the family to make Christians

• These Christians believe that while it is the duty of parents to support children, it is not the duty of the children to obey their parents

  • A Christian family should encourage children to develop their own ideas, which may lead to different ideas from their parents

Different Christian Attitudes to Family Types

• Most Christians believe that the traditional family unit of the nuclear family is better because it reflects the idea of the first family, as shown in the bible with Adam and Eve

• Some Christians accept that in modern society there are different forms of families that exist and all are welcomed to the religion

• Roman Catholics have strict views on the structure of family life and believe that a nuclear family or an extended family are the best type of family to raise children

  • Divorce is not allowed for Roman Catholics so blended families would not be encouraged

  • Homosexuality is viewed as sinful so families with same-sex parents would also be discouraged