The nature and purpose of marriage
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what marriage is (nature), why people marry (purpose) and non-religious views on marriage.
Key learning points
- National statistics show that marriage rates are impacted by events such as war and changes in law.
- There are different purposes of marriage including commimtment and sharing a life of love.
- There are different non-religious views on marriage including those that debate its importance in society today.
- Marriage laws vary around the world including factors such as age, the process and how many spouses you can have.
- Ethical questions around marriage include issues such as cohabitation.
Keywords
Civil - non-religious or secular
Cohabitation - living together as partners and having a sexual relationship without being married
Marriage - the legally and religiously recognised union of two people as partners in a personal relationship
Nature - the basic features of something
Purpose - the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists
Common misconception
Marriage laws around the world are the same as England & Wales.
Marriage laws vary around the world including minimum age, how many spouses you can have at once, who you can marry and how marriage ceremonies are carried out.
Teacher tip
Find out or ask students to research different laws on marriage from around the world and compare to England and Wales.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of sexual content
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which Christian denomination follows an absolutist approach to contraception?
Q2.Which of the following is a reason why some Christians support contraception?
Q3.Which of the following best describes the Anglican Church’s view on contraception?
Q4.Which ethical theory is supported by the Christian principle of agape (selfless love)?
Q5.Some Christians believe that contraception goes against Law, which teaches that all actions should align with God’s natural order.
Q6.In 1968, Pope Paul VI issued a document called Humanae , which clarified the Catholic Church’s stance on contraception.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the following terms to their definitions.
living together in a relationship without being married
the legally recognised union of two people
a secular (non-religious) ceremony
Q2.In England and Wales, you must be at least years old to get married.
Q3.Which of the following is true about marriage trends in recent years?
Q4.Which of the following is a key purpose of marriage in many cultures?
Q5.Why do some religious people believe marriage is important?
Q6.Which of these statements best describes non-religious views on marriage?
To help you plan your 11 religious education lesson on: The nature and purpose of marriage, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 religious education lesson on: The nature and purpose of marriage, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 religious education lessons from the Relationships and families unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.