Nature and purpose of marriage
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain Christian teachings on marriage, Christian marriage ceremonies and different Christian views on marriage.
Key learning points
- Marriage is an important sacrament in Christianity.
- The Bible teaches that the purpose of marriage includes two people joining into 'one flesh' and procreation.
- Church leaders have considered modern issues relating to marriage that aren't clear in the Bible.
- Christian marriage ceremonies vary depending on factors such as denomination, culture, timing.
- There are different views in Christianity on who can marry in a church.
Keywords
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
Sacrament - an outward sign of an invisible and inward blessing by God; for example: Baptism, the Eucharist
Sanctity - something that is holy or sacred
Vow - a promise (made during a marriage ceremony)
Common misconception
All Christian weddings are the same.
Christian weddings will vary depending on denomination, cultural/family traditions, etc.
Teacher tip
Find or ask students to find pictures of Christian weddings from around the world. What is similar about them? What is different?
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
5 Questions
Q1.What does omnibenevolent mean?
Q2.Who is referred to as the ‘Son’ in the Trinity?
Q3.The Trinity means God is one being in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the ...
Q4.Christians believe that God created the world, and this belief is based on the book of in the Bible.
Q5.What do Christians believe about the resurrection of Jesus?
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Match each keyword to its correct meaning:
is living together as partners without being married
is the legally and religiously recognised union of two people
is a promise (made during a marriage ceremony)
Q2.What factors contribute to the variation in Christian marriage ceremonies?
Q3.Which of the following is true about who can marry in a church?
Q4.The Catholic teaches that marriage is a sacred covenant and a sacrament.
Q5.What do many humanists believe marriage represents?
To help you plan your 11 religious education lesson on: 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: 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 Issues of Relationships unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.