Human Development

Family life

Description:
The family is both the place where the individual learns how to conform to social requirements and where he or she receives support in social relationships. It is critical for the physical and psychological welfare of its members. Each member has his or her unique role in the family.
Because of its personal and institutional aspects the family is always subject to tensions, particularly in a time of swift social change. The secular position that marriage is a contract governed by law, entered into freely by both parties and dissolvable by law means that religious aspects are held to be a private matter. Conversely, Christianity looks on family life as a vocation in parallel with the single state in the service of God. It is not always clear, even in the New Testament, when the secular and when the religious aspect is being referred to.
Despite being based on romantic love, many marriages are in fact contractual, as romantic love in the long-term proves an inadequate basis. Another approach is that of natural union based on biological and social foundations; this emphasis on sexuality comes into conflict in Christianity where sex without procreation has always been an ethical difficulty. Then there is marriage as the command of God, where roles are explicitly laid down following religious or cultural norms. The metaphor of covenant or vocation, based on the view of the relation between God and the Church or mankind, again emphasizes role models but here there is a contract between unequals which may mean a demeaning status for women and children. However, within this latter, emphasis on the covenantal or sacramental side prevents the family from being too private.
Christian ethics have their place in the understanding of human sexuality, in the transformation of sexual desire into conjugal love, in emphasizing the covenantal and vocational nature of marriage and the family, in preparing for marriage, parenthood and upbringing of children, in daily life and in moments of crisis. Not just as a set of guidelines but as pastoral care and counselling the aim is to enable every Christian to embody his or her faith in the life of the family.
Related:
Parenthood