Religious teachings on the purpose and importance of families, types of family in the 21st century, and how the local community supports families.

What this dot point is asking

Edexcel wants you to explain religious teachings on the purpose and importance of families, including procreation and the security and education of children, religious responses to the different types of family in 21st-century society, and how the local community (the parish or the ummah) supports families. This is part of the relationships and families theme.

The purpose and importance of families

Both faiths regard the family as a gift from God and the foundation of society, the place where children are born, raised and taught the faith.

Christianity teaches that children are a blessing and that parents should "bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:1 to 4), while children should honour their parents. Islam teaches that the family is the basis of society, that children are a trust from Allah, and that strong families strengthen the ummah (Surah 46:15 to 18). Both faiths therefore stress raising children well, in a secure and loving home, and teaching them to know and worship God. The family is also where the young learn to care for others and the old are respected and looked after.

Types of family in the 21st century

Traditionally, both faiths have held up marriage and the two-parent family as the ideal setting for raising children, so some Christians and Muslims see the nuclear and extended family as the model that best fits their teaching. However, many religious people also recognise that families take different forms and respond with compassion and support rather than judgement: a single parent raising children well, or a blended family, can be a loving home, and the duty to support children remains. Views on same-sex parent families diverge most, with traditional believers cautious or opposed and liberal Christians and non-religious people accepting them. For the exam, show that religious responses range from upholding the traditional ideal to welcoming and supporting all families.

How the community supports families

Religious communities give families practical and spiritual support. The local church supports families through family worship, rites of passage (baptism, marriage, funerals), Sunday schools and classes for children, parenting classes and counselling, following Jesus' welcome of children, "let the little children come to me" (Matthew 19:13 to 14). In Islam, the mosque and the wider ummah support families through worship, rites of passage, classes for children (madrasah), groups and counselling, helping to pass on the faith and to hold families together, which strengthens the community (Surah 3:102 to 105).

The reasons for this support are rooted in belief: because the family is where faith and values are passed on, both faiths see helping families as central to the life of the community. For the exam, be able to give concrete ways the church or mosque supports families and explain why, and link this to the purpose of families and to marriage. A strong Evaluate answer weighs whether having and raising children is the main purpose of a family or whether love, companionship and support matter just as much, noting that childless couples and other family forms are still real families.