📖 Traditional teaching
Some religious groups teach that sexual relationships should be between a man and a woman, because they understand this to be part of God's plan for human life. They stress the link with marriage and children.
Life and Death: Key Ideas » Human Sexuality and Changing Relationships
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 1, 2.4
- What human sexuality is and the purposes people give for it
- Religious and non-religious attitudes to relationships between the sexes, including heterosexuality and homosexuality
- How the law protects people from discrimination
- How relationships are changing, and how people respond
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Unlock This CourseHuman sexuality and its purposes
This lesson looks at how people think about relationships between the sexes. It is a sensitive topic, so we keep to calm, age-appropriate facts and to the reasons people give for their views. Remember that you are studying beliefs, not deciding who is right.
Key terms:
- Human sexuality: the way people experience and express attraction, love and intimacy.
- Sexual orientation: whether a person is mainly attracted to people of the opposite sex, the same sex, or both.
- Heterosexuality: attraction to people of the opposite sex.
- Homosexuality: attraction to people of the same sex.
- Commitment: a serious promise to stay loyal to another person.
- Consent: freely agreeing to something, without pressure. Both people must agree.
People give several purposes for human sexuality. Most views include more than one of these.
👶 Having children
Many religions teach that one purpose of sexual relationships is to have children and so continue the human family.
💖 Love and commitment
Sex can be a way to express love and to bind two people closer together in a lasting relationship.
🙂 Pleasure
Many people see pleasure and closeness as a good purpose in itself. Some religious people accept this, but only inside a committed relationship.
Many religions teach that sex belongs within a committed relationship, usually marriage. They often see it as something special and valuable that should be treated with respect and responsibility.
Non-religious people, including humanists, do not usually base their views on rules from a God. Many say that what matters is consent, respect and responsibility. For them, a relationship is right when both people freely agree, treat each other well, and take care over the effects on themselves and others. Some non-religious people think commitment is important too, and some do not require marriage.
Relationships between the sexes
Most people are heterosexual, which means attracted to the opposite sex. Some people are homosexual, which means attracted to the same sex. Religious groups hold a range of attitudes, so it is safest to say 'some believers' rather than 'all believers'.
🤝 Inclusive and liberal views
Many people inside religions hold more inclusive or liberal views. They stress love, compassion and equal dignity. They say that a loving, faithful relationship matters more than whether it is between a man and a woman.
Some religious groups also make a distinction between orientation and actions. They say that being homosexual is not a choice and is not wrong in itself, but that acting on it goes against their teaching. Others reject this distinction and say that orientation and relationships cannot be separated.
Non-religious attitudes are mainly based on equality. Humanists and many other non-religious people say that all adults should have the same right to love and be treated fairly, whatever their sexual orientation, as long as there is consent and respect.
The law
The Equality Act 2010, which covers England, Wales and Scotland, protects people from discrimination because of their sexual orientation.
Changing patterns of relationships
The way people form relationships has changed over time in the United Kingdom. Three changes are often discussed:
- Later marriage. Many people now marry later in life than people did in the past, often after finishing their education and starting work.
- More couples living together. More couples live together without being married.
- Greater acceptance of same-sex relationships. Many more people now accept them than in the past.
The roles of men and women have changed too, but that is covered in other lessons.
⛪ Some religious responses
Some religious people feel these changes weaken marriage and family life, and they want traditional teaching to be kept. Others accept the changes and say that religion should show love and understanding to everyone, whatever their situation.
🌍 Non-religious responses
Many non-religious people welcome the changes, because they give people more freedom and choice. Some worry about stability, especially for children, but stress that happy, caring relationships matter more than their form.
As with other topics, opinion does not divide neatly. Within every religion there are different views, and non-religious people disagree with one another too.
Common mistakes
- Saying that all religious people think the same. Attitudes vary within religions.
- Saying that non-religious people have no moral views. Many base theirs on consent, respect, responsibility and equality.
- Mixing up orientation (who a person is attracted to) with actions (what they do).
- Giving an opinion without a reason. Marks go for explaining why.
Exam-style question
Paper 1, AO1 and AO2.
(a) Identify three purposes of human sexuality. [3 marks]
Model answer (a)
1. Having children (1) 2. Expressing love and commitment (1) 3. Pleasure (1)
(b) Outline two non-religious attitudes to sexual relationships. [4 marks]
Model answer (b)
Some non-religious people say that consent matters most (1), because both people must freely agree and not be pressured (1). Others stress equality (1), so that people should be treated fairly whatever their sexual orientation (1).
(c) Explain why there are different attitudes to homosexuality. [6 marks]
Model answer (c)
Some religious groups follow traditional teaching that sexual relationships should be between a man and a woman, so they feel that homosexual relationships go against God's plan (2). Other believers hold inclusive or liberal views, because they stress love, compassion and equal dignity, so they accept loving same-sex relationships (2). Some make a distinction between orientation and actions, saying that being homosexual is not wrong but acting on it is, while others reject this distinction. Non-religious people often stress equality and consent, so they see no reason to treat people differently (2). Attitudes therefore differ inside religion and outside it.
(d) 'Society should accept all kinds of relationships between adults.' Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks]
Plan for (d)
For: equality and fair treatment; consent and respect matter more than the type of relationship; the Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination; inclusive religious views stress love and compassion. Against: traditional religious teaching that sexual relationships should be between a man and a woman, or within marriage (add a teaching from your own religion here); some worry that changing patterns weaken marriage and family life. Possible conclusion: weigh respect for people against respect for religious teaching, and say which matters more. A strong answer might say that people should be treated with respect, while accepting that religious groups can still hold their own beliefs about marriage.
Exam tip
In the 12-mark question, say who holds each view ('some traditional believers', 'a humanist') and cover the key words in the statement, here 'all kinds'.