This theme asks what religions teach about sex, marriage and divorce, and how those teachings affect people in Britain today. Views differ within every religion, and between religious and non-religious people.
Britain is diverse: in the 2021 census for England and Wales, 46.2% said they were Christian, 37.2% said they had no religion and 6.5% said they were Muslim. In Scotland’s 2022 census, 51.1% said no religion. Last checked 6 November 2026.
The main religious tradition: AQA calls Christianity ‘the main religious tradition of Great Britain’. Christianity includes Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Churches (such as the Church of England, Methodists, Baptists and Quakers), which don’t always agree.
Human sexuality means how people express themselves as sexual beings. It includes heterosexual relationships (between a man and a woman) and same-sex relationships (between two men or two women).
Sex as a gift: many Christians and Muslims believe sex is a gift from God for a man and a woman in marriage, to express love and to have children. Genesis 1:28 tells the first humans to ‘be fruitful, multiply’ (World English Bible).
Other Christians stress that God is love (1 John 4:8), so they judge a relationship by whether it is loving, faithful and committed.
Non-religious views: many humanists and atheists judge sexual relationships by consent, honesty and whether anyone is harmed, rather than by religious rules.
Typical views on the three named issues. Every tradition contains a range of opinion.
Three named issuesThe spec names contraception, sexual relationships before marriage and same-sex relationships. A 4-mark question on one of them may say ‘refer to the main religious tradition of Great Britain and one or more other religious traditions’. Then at least one of your two beliefs must be clearly Christian, or the answer can’t score more than 2.
Exam tipOn a question about sexuality, phrase each point as a belief about sexuality (‘Many Christians believe sex is a gift from God that belongs in marriage’), not just a fact about marriage.
Human sexuality
How people express themselves as sexual beings.
Heterosexual
Sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex.
Same-sex relationship
A romantic or sexual relationship between two men or two women.
3.2.1.1 Human sexuality (named issue)
Same-sex relationships
A named issue. Learn at least two different Christian views and a view from another religion.
Humanists and many non-religious people accept same-sex relationships, because they are based on consent and love and harm nobody.
The law: sex between men was partly decriminalised in England and Wales in 1967. Civil partnerships began in December 2005, and same-sex marriage in England and Wales on 29 March 2014. Last checked 6 November 2026.
Tradition
Typical view
Why
Catholic Church
Same-sex attraction isn’t sinful, and gay and lesbian people must be treated with respect. Sexual acts between people of the same sex are wrong.
Sex belongs in marriage between a man and a woman and should be open to new life. Leviticus 18:22 and Romans 1:26-27 are cited.
Many Evangelical and Orthodox Christians
Same-sex sexual relationships are wrong.
They read the Bible’s texts on this as God’s word for all time.
Church of England
Divided. Its Prayers of Love and Faith let same-sex couples be blessed in regular services, but it doesn’t marry them. Last checked 6 November 2026.
It is still debating the issue.
Many liberal Christians (for example many Quakers and Methodists)
Loving, faithful same-sex relationships are equal to heterosexual ones.
God is love (1 John 4:8); everyone is made in God’s image; the Bible’s texts reflect their own times.
Most Muslims
Same-sex sexual acts are forbidden. Many teach that the orientation itself isn’t a sin, but acting on it is.
The Qur’an tells how the people of the prophet Lut were condemned: ‘ye come with lust unto men instead of women’ (7:81, Pickthall’s translation of the meaning). Sex belongs in marriage.
Some progressive Muslims
Accept same-sex couples, for example the Inclusive Mosque Initiative.
They stress God’s mercy and that the Lut story is about violence and abuse.
Exam tipExaminers report students quoting Leviticus without saying where the words come from, which loses the source mark: name the book. They also note that acceptance of same-sex relationships is wider than acceptance of same-sex marriage. Keep the two apart.
Respectful languageWrite ‘same-sex couples’, ‘gay and lesbian people’. Examiners praise answers that discuss sensitive issues with care.
Civil partnership
A legal union between two people that gives the same rights as marriage, available in the UK since 2005.
3.2.1.1 Sexual relationships before and outside marriage (named issue)
Sex before and outside marriage
A named issue. Sex before marriage involves two unmarried people. Sex outside marriage includes adultery, where at least one person is married to someone else.
Many Christians, and Catholic teaching, believe sex is God’s gift for marriage. Paul wrote ‘Flee sexual immorality!’ and that the body is ‘a temple of the Holy Spirit’ (1 Corinthians 6:18-19, World English Bible).
Paul’s advice: because of the temptation to sexual immorality, ‘let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband’ (1 Corinthians 7:2). Many Christians therefore practise chastity (no sex) before marriage.
Some Christians, including many liberal Protestants and some Quakers, accept sex before marriage in a loving, faithful, committed relationship, for example between a couple who plan to marry.
Islam: sex outside marriage is zina and is forbidden. ‘Come not near unto adultery. Lo! it is an abomination and an evil way’ (Qur’an 17:32, Pickthall). Many Muslims avoid being alone with someone of the opposite sex they could marry.
Adultery is forbidden in Christianity (‘You shall not commit adultery’, Exodus 20:14, one of the Ten Commandments) and in Islam. It breaks marriage vows and trust.
Non-religious views: many humanists accept sex before marriage between consenting adults who are honest and responsible, but most people, religious or not, see adultery as a betrayal.
Exam tip‘Do not commit adultery’ is not about sex before marriage, and examiners don’t credit it there. Use 1 Corinthians 6 or the Qur’an on zina instead.
Exam tipSay why a view is held. ‘Christians think sex before marriage is wrong’ is a simple point; add the reason (sex is a gift for marriage; the body is a temple) to make it detailed.
Adultery
Sex between a married person and someone who isn’t their husband or wife.
Chastity
Not having sex, for example before marriage.
Zina
The Arabic term for sex outside marriage, forbidden in Islam.
3.2.1.1 Contraception and family planning (named issue)
Contraception and family planning
Contraception means methods used to prevent pregnancy. Family planning means a couple deciding how many children to have and when. A named issue.
Methods that may work after fertilisation, such as some emergency contraception or the coil, are opposed by some Christians and Muslims who believe life begins at conception.
The pill works mainly by stopping ovulation. It isn’t a method of abortion.
Non-religious views: humanists support contraception as responsible: it lets people plan families, protects health (condoms reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections) and reduces unwanted pregnancies.
The law: contraception is legal in the UK and free through the NHS.
Tradition
Typical view
Reasons
Catholic Church
Artificial methods (pill, condom, coil) are wrong. Natural family planning, using the woman’s fertile and infertile times, is allowed.
Pope Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae (1968): every sexual act should stay open to the possibility of new life, as part of natural law.
Church of England and most Protestants
Contraception is acceptable for responsible family planning within marriage.
Accepted by the Anglican bishops from 1930. Couples can use their God-given freedom to plan a family they can care for.
Most Muslims
Contraception is allowed within marriage if both spouses agree, for good reasons such as health or money.
A hadith reports that the Companions practised withdrawal while the Qur’an was being revealed (Sahih al-Bukhari 5208). ‘Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope’ (2:286, Pickthall).
Some Muslims
Oppose contraception, or permanent methods such as sterilisation.
Children are a blessing and God provides. Some cite ‘Slay not your children, fearing a fall to poverty’ (17:31, Pickthall).
Exam tipExaminers note that the Catholic Church doesn’t teach that sex is only for having children. It teaches that each sexual act should be open to new life. Say it that way.
Avoid stereotypes‘All Christians are against contraception and all Muslims allow it’ is wrong on both counts and loses marks. Write ‘Catholic teaching…’, ‘most Muslims…’.
Contraception
Methods used to prevent pregnancy.
Family planning
A couple planning how many children to have and when, often using contraception.
Natural family planning
Avoiding sex at the times in a woman’s cycle when she is most fertile. Allowed in Catholic teaching.
3.2.1.1 The nature and purpose of marriage
The nature and purpose of marriage
Marriage is a legal union between two people as partners in a relationship. For most religious believers it is a lifelong, faithful commitment made before God.
Purposes in Christian teaching: companionship and love; a faithful sexual relationship; having children (procreation) and bringing them up in the faith; a stable base for a family.
‘One flesh’: ‘a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh’ (Genesis 2:24, World English Bible). Jesus quoted this and added ‘What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate’ (Mark 10:9).
A sacrament or a covenant: Catholic and Orthodox Christians see marriage as a sacrament, a holy ceremony through which God gives grace. Many Protestants see it as a covenant, a promise blessed by God. In the vows, the couple promise to stay together ‘for better, for worse… till death us do part’.
Islam: marriage (nikah) is a contract between a man and a woman, with the free consent of both, witnesses and a gift (mahr) to the bride. Following the Prophet Muhammad’s example (Sunnah), most Muslims see marriage as expected. The Qur’an says God ‘ordained between you love and mercy’ (30:21, Pickthall).
Non-religious views: many people marry in a civil ceremony or a humanist wedding, valuing commitment without religious vows. Others see marriage as unnecessary for a committed relationship.
Exam tipWhen asked about the nature of marriage, examiners credit: lifelong, faithful, a sacrament, a duty, ‘one flesh’ (Genesis 2:24). Don’t drift into the purposes of the family.
Marriage
A legal union between two people as partners in a relationship.
Procreation
Having children. One purpose of marriage in many religions.
Sacrament
A holy ceremony through which Christians believe God gives grace. Catholics and Orthodox Christians count marriage as one.
Mahr
A gift from the husband to the bride, part of a Muslim marriage contract.
3.2.1.1 Same-sex marriage and cohabitation
Same-sex marriage and cohabitation
The law: same-sex marriage has been legal in England and Wales since 29 March 2014, in Scotland since December 2014 and in Northern Ireland since January 2020. Since the end of 2019, opposite-sex couples in England and Wales can also have a civil partnership.
Religious groups choose: the 2013 law lets each religious group decide whether to marry same-sex couples, and no group can be forced to. It bars the Church of England and the Church in Wales from doing so unless their own rules change.
Churches that allow same-sex weddings include Quakers in Britain (agreed in 2009), the United Reformed Church (2016), the Scottish Episcopal Church (2017) and the Methodist Church (2021). In each, a local church or minister can choose not to take part. Their reasons: God is love, and faithful love deserves the same blessing.
Churches that don’t: the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Churches, many Evangelical churches and the Church of England teach that marriage is between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:24; Mark 10:6-8). Most Muslims hold the same view.
Cohabitation means a couple living together in a sexual relationship without being married. It is common in Britain.
Views on cohabitation: many liberal Christians accept it, especially as a step towards marriage or in a long-term, faithful relationship. Catholic teaching, many Evangelicals and most Muslims see it as wrong, because sex belongs in marriage and marriage gives a public, lifelong commitment. Many humanists see it as a personal choice.
Last checked 6 November 2026.
Exam tipIn a 12-mark answer on cohabitation, use the statement’s key words. ‘For religious believers’ means arguing about what believers should do. A non-religious view only helps if it’s used as an argument about that.
Cohabitation
A couple living together in a sexual relationship without being married.
Same-sex marriage
Marriage between two men or two women. Legal in England and Wales since 29 March 2014.
3.2.1.1 Divorce, including reasons for divorce
Divorce: reasons, teachings and the law
Divorce is the legal ending of a marriage. Religions differ on whether it is ever right.
Reasons couples divorce: adultery; domestic abuse; drifting apart; stress over money or work; addiction; falling out of love.
Catholic Church: a valid sacramental marriage can’t be ended while both are alive. A couple may separate, and a Church court may grant an annulment, a declaration that a valid marriage never existed (for example if someone was forced into it).
Jesus’ teaching: whoever divorces and marries another ‘commits adultery’ (Mark 10:11-12). Matthew 19:9 gives an exception ‘for sexual immorality’, which some Protestants accept as grounds for divorce.
Church of England and most Protestants: divorce is sad but sometimes the lesser evil, for example when a marriage has completely broken down. Christians are encouraged to try reconciliation first.
Islam: divorce is permitted as a last resort after attempts at reconciliation, often with family members helping. ‘Divorce must be pronounced twice and then (a woman) must be retained in honour or released in kindness’ (Qur’an 2:229, Pickthall). There is a waiting period (’iddah) in case the couple reconcile. A wife can also seek a divorce (khul’).
A saying often quoted: ‘of all lawful things, divorce is the most hated by God’. This is a hadith (Sunan Abi Dawud 2178), not the Qur’an, and many scholars grade it weak.
The law in England and Wales: since 6 April 2022 divorce has been no-fault. Nobody has to prove adultery or bad behaviour. Last checked 6 November 2026.
Exam tipExaminers see the ‘most hated’ saying wrongly called the Qur’an. Call it ‘a hadith’ or ‘a saying of the Prophet Muhammad’.
SupportDivorce and family conflict can be close to home. You never have to write about your own family. If you want to talk to someone, speak to a trusted adult or call Childline on 0800 1111 (free and confidential).
Divorce
The legal ending of a marriage.
Annulment
A declaration by the Catholic Church that a valid marriage never existed.
Reconciliation
Bringing a couple back together after a breakdown in their relationship.
3.2.1.1 Divorce and remarrying
Remarriage after divorce
Remarriage means marrying again while a former husband or wife is still alive.
Catholic Church: a divorced Catholic can’t remarry in church while their former spouse is alive, because the first marriage still exists in God’s eyes (Mark 10:11-12). If the first marriage is annulled, they are free to marry.
Church of England: since 2002, a divorced person may remarry in church if the priest agrees. The priest considers the circumstances. Some couples instead have a civil wedding and then a service of blessing.
Many Protestants: remarriage is a fresh start, and God forgives. Many point to Jesus’ exception for sexual immorality (Matthew 19:9), or to a partner who has left.
Orthodox Churches may allow a second or even third marriage, with a more penitent service.
Islam: remarriage is allowed and often encouraged after the waiting period, because marriage is the normal way of life. ‘And marry such of you as are solitary’ (Qur’an 24:32, Pickthall). The Prophet Muhammad’s first wife, Khadijah, had been married before.
Non-religious views: remarriage is a free choice, and a new marriage may bring happiness and stability for adults and children.
Religious ceremonies for remarriage: a simplified summary
Exam tipA 6-mark answer on remarriage needs two different beliefs, each explained, and a named source that you apply: ‘Jesus taught that remarriage after divorce is adultery (Mark 10:11-12), so many Catholics won’t remarry while their first spouse is alive.’
Remarriage
Marrying again while a former husband or wife is still alive.
’Iddah
A waiting period after a Muslim divorce, in case the couple reconcile, and before the woman may remarry.
3.2.1.1 Ethical arguments related to divorce
Ethical arguments about divorce
The sanctity of marriage vows: vows are holy promises made before God and the community. Breaking them breaks a promise to God as well as to the partner. Jesus taught that God joins the couple (Mark 10:9). So some Christians stay married through serious difficulty.
Compassion: showing love and concern for people who suffer. Jesus showed compassion to people others condemned. Many Christians argue that a loving God doesn’t want anyone trapped in an abusive or empty marriage, so divorce can be the most loving choice.
Children’s welfare: some argue that staying together protects children; others that constant conflict harms them more than separation.
Islam balances both: marriage is a serious contract, but Islam allows a way out when it fails, and requires kindness in ending it (2:229).
Non-religious views: most humanists accept divorce when a marriage has failed, weighing everyone’s happiness, especially children’s. They may also value keeping promises.
Two ethical arguments that believers weigh up
Exam tipIn a 12-mark answer, don’t just list views on divorce. Weigh them: ‘The vows argument is strong for Catholics, who see marriage as a sacrament, but it is weaker when one partner has already broken the vows through abuse, because…’
Sanctity of marriage vows
The belief that marriage promises are holy, made before God, and shouldn’t be broken.
Compassion
Love and concern for people who are suffering, and wanting to help them.
Genious