Marriage and Same-Sex Marriage
Marriage is the legally and, for many couples, religiously recognised union of two people as spouses. This topic covers what marriage and civil partnership mean in law, what religious traditions teach about the purpose of marriage, and the range of religious and non-religious views on same-sex marriage, which has been legally available to same-sex couples in England and Wales since 2014.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Learn the legal difference between marriage, civil partnership and cohabitation, including which one requires a religious ceremony.
- Learn the key facts about who can marry in England and Wales and how a marriage is legally registered.
- Learn at least one religious teaching, with its source, about why marriage matters to believers.
- Learn that religious views on same-sex marriage differ both between and within religious traditions.
- Learn at least one non-religious argument for and against same-sex marriage.
- Practise writing a short paragraph that states a religious teaching, references its source accurately, and explains what the teaching means.
Worked example
Explain one reason many Christians believe companionship is an important purpose of marriage. Refer to a source of religious teaching in your answer.
- Identify the belief being tested: the purpose of marriage includes companionship between spouses.
- State the point clearly: many Christians believe God intended marriage to provide companionship, so that neither partner is alone.
- Support the point with a source of authority: Genesis 2:18 records God saying, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'
- Explain how the source supports the point: this passage shows God creating a companion for the first human, which many Christians take as evidence that marriage was designed to meet a need for companionship.
- Write the final answer as a connected paragraph: many Christians believe companionship is a central purpose of marriage, because Genesis 2:18 shows God creating a companion so that the first human would not be alone, and this need for companionship continues to be met through marriage today.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Religious Studies exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Explain two reasons why some couples in Britain choose a civil partnership rather than a religious marriage.
Justify the view that individual religious congregations, rather than a whole religious tradition, should decide whether to conduct same-sex marriages.
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