Christian attitudes to adultery and cohabitation
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain Christian attitudes to adultery and cohabitation.
Key learning points
- There are clear Christian teachings aainst committing adultery.
- The story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery is a key story showing Jesus' response to this issue.
- Some Christians accept couples cohabiting before marriage.
- Other Christians do not accept couples cohbabiting before marriage.
Keywords
Adultery - voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not their spouse; also known as sex outside of marriage
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
Vows - a promise (made during a marriage ceremony)
Common misconception
That all Christians are against cohabitation.
Some branches of Christianity accept cohabitation if the couple intend to marry.
Teacher tip
Students can explore how a local church supports couples who intend to marry through 'marriage classes'.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the following terms to their definitions.
the legally recognised union of two people
living together in a relationship without being married
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?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Some Christians believe that should only happen within marriage.
Q2.Liberal Christians may accept cohabitation if the couple are in a loving, committed relationship.
Q3.Which other denomination is likely to accept cohabitation?
Q4.What is adultery?
Q5.What does the Bible say about adultery?
Q6.All Christians believe cohabitation is wrong.
To help you plan your 11 religious education lesson on: Christian attitudes to adultery and cohabitation, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 religious education lesson on: Christian attitudes to adultery and cohabitation, 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 Issues of Relationships unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.