What do religious and non-religious viewpoints teach about relationships, sex, marriage, family and the issues that arise within them?
Religion and Relationships: attitudes to sex, marriage and cohabitation, divorce, contraception, and the family, from religious and non-religious viewpoints.
An SQA Higher RMPS answer on Religion and Relationships, covering attitudes to sex before marriage, marriage and cohabitation, divorce, contraception and the family, from religious and non-religious viewpoints, with the skills to describe and evaluate them.
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What this dot point is asking
Religion and Relationships is a moral context in the Morality and Belief area. It examines attitudes to sex, marriage, cohabitation, divorce, contraception and the family, from both religious and non-religious viewpoints. The SQA wants you to describe the attitudes accurately, explain the reasons behind them, and evaluate how far they agree or differ, reaching a judgement.
Marriage, sex and cohabitation
- Religious attitudes typically value marriage highly, giving purposes such as companionship, faithfulness and procreation. Sex is often taught to belong within marriage, on grounds of commitment, the link to having children and, for some, divine command.
- Cohabitation (living together unmarried) is accepted by many non-religious people and increasingly common, but more traditional religious teaching encourages marriage as the proper setting for a sexual relationship.
- Non-religious attitudes value loving, committed, consensual relationships for their own sake. A humanist does not see marriage as God-ordained and treats marriage, civil partnership and cohabitation as equally valid if the relationship is caring and stable.
Divorce and contraception
- Divorce. Some traditions strongly discourage or restrict divorce, treating marriage as indissoluble; others permit it as a regrettable last resort while encouraging reconciliation. Non-religious views generally accept divorce where a relationship has broken down, prioritising the wellbeing of those involved.
- Contraception. Attitudes range from acceptance (where it supports responsible family planning and health) to opposition (where it is seen as separating sex from its procreative purpose). Non-religious views typically support access to contraception as a matter of health, autonomy and responsible choice.
The family
The SQA also expects attention to the family as a moral context.
- Many religions value the family highly as the setting for love, the nurture and moral education of children, and care for the elderly, and teach duties between parents and children.
- Non-religious viewpoints also value family life and stable, loving homes, but recognise a wider range of family forms (single-parent, blended, same-sex) and judge them by the care and wellbeing they provide rather than by a fixed model.
Religious and non-religious reasoning
The marks come from why people hold their attitudes, not just what they hold.
- Religious reasoning appeals to sacred texts, the teaching of religious authorities, the idea of marriage as God-ordained, and values such as faithfulness, commitment and the sanctity of life.
- Non-religious reasoning (humanist or secular) appeals to wellbeing, consent, autonomy and the consequences for those involved, treating relationships as a human good to be arranged justly and kindly rather than by divine rule.
Try this
Q1. Give two purposes of marriage often taught in a religious tradition. [2 marks]
- Cue. Companionship and faithfulness; procreation and the raising of children.
Q2. On what grounds does a humanist judge relationships? [2 marks]
- Cue. Wellbeing, consent, mutual care and the consequences for those involved, rather than divine command.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA Higher specimen8 marksExplain religious and non-religious attitudes to marriage.Show worked answer →
An 8-mark "explain" question rewards developed understanding of the attitudes and the reasons behind them.
Religious attitudes: many Christians see marriage as a sacred, lifelong covenant before God, the proper setting for sex and for raising children, citing the idea that the two become "one flesh"; the purposes are often given as companionship, faithfulness and procreation. Non-religious attitudes: a humanist values marriage or a committed partnership for love, mutual support and stability, but does not see it as God-ordained and accepts cohabitation and civil partnership equally. Develop two or three points with reasons, contrasting the religious and non-religious grounds, to reach the top band.
SQA Higher specimen10 marksHow far do religious and non-religious views on sex before marriage differ?Show worked answer →
A 10-mark evaluation needs argument and a judgement; the degree of difference is the issue to weigh.
Argue that they differ greatly: traditional religious teaching often reserves sex for marriage, on grounds of commitment, the link to procreation and divine command, while many non-religious people accept sex within any loving, consensual relationship. Then argue they overlap more than it seems: both usually value consent, commitment and responsibility, and many religious believers in practice accept sex in committed relationships. Bring in the range within religions (liberal and conservative). Reach a supported judgement, for example that the principles overlap even where the rules differ.
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