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Am I doing this right? 15 mark RE question

I have my RE GCSE coming up next Monday and I'm really struggling with my 15 mark questions. I'd just really like to know any feedback and advice you could give based on my answer?

"Sex outside marriage is always wrong." Discuss this statement showing you have considered more than one point of view. (You must refer to religion and belief in you answer.

Orthodox Christians and Catholics would agree with this statement. They would argue that no matter the situation, sex is viewed as a sacrament from God and that it can only happen within marriage, which can be seen in the biblical quote "if you cannot restrain yourself, marry".
As it is seen as a god given gift to humanity, which can be seen through the fact that it is "ordained by God", the act of not respecting marriage through adultery could be seen as an insult to God and his gift. In addition, marriage vows reflect the need for sexual fidelity and eternal love, which is seen through the vows "to have and to hold... till death do us part". By making this vow, a commitment is made to your partner and to God and adultery breaks this sacred commitment. In addition, adultery may result in the breaking of a marriage which is forbidden in the biblical quote "what God has put together, let no man put asunder" - another reason why some Christians disapprove of sex outside marriage. Adultery is also forbidden in the Ten Commandments, and so to commit adultery is to disobey God. Adultery can also result in breaking up the family unit which is seen to be the foundation of relationships and society in a faith community. It may also prevent any children in the family from learning religious rituals and practices due to the lack of a family environment.

Despite this, due to the fact that society is becoming increasingly tolerant, some Chrsitians have become increasingly acceptant with sex outside of marriage in some situations. They would argue that in the case of cohabitation, for an example, sex in a loving and stable environment should be accepted. They would argue that it is the physical expression of love towards your partner and that it should therefore be accepted as "love covers a multitude of sins". They would therefore argue it should be accepted in a loving relationship as it's a way for people to express their love. They would present cohabitation as an example of this. However, all Christians would agree that promiscuity and adultery is a sin as it devalues both people and the sacred nature of the sacrament of sex - they would give the biblical quote "for do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit" as proof of this. Despite the fact that Liberal Angelicans have accepted sex between two people in a loving and stable relationship who plan to marry, it is still forbidden in most denominations, with some Baptist churches even refusing to marry two people who were cohabiting.

I'm mainly concerned because I always end up having a significant amount of extra time after writing my answers so I feel as if I'm not adding enough content?

Any writing frames or feedback would be much appreciated! :smile:
Reply 1
boost i need help sksksksk
it's because you've only included one religion, don't they ask you after they ask the questions to refer to other teachings/religions too?

whatever the other religion you've studied is, you'll need to include a paragraph about them too , and maybe a small conclusion :smile:
also i'm pretty sure (depending of your exam board) that 3 of those marks come from SPaG - so make sure everything makes sense :biggrin:

good luck!
Reply 4
Original post by laurawatt
it's because you've only included one religion, don't they ask you after they ask the questions to refer to other teachings/religions too?

whatever the other religion you've studied is, you'll need to include a paragraph about them too , and maybe a small conclusion :smile:
also i'm pretty sure (depending of your exam board) that 3 of those marks come from SPaG - so make sure everything makes sense :biggrin:

good luck!


No because this one in particular only asked for different beliefs so you don't need to add a second religion - just 2 viewpoints. Sorry to be pushy - but what about the rest of the answer? Anything to add?
Original post by EmRep13
No because this one in particular only asked for different beliefs so you don't need to add a second religion - just 2 viewpoints. Sorry to be pushy - but what about the rest of the answer? Anything to add?


different beliefs generally mean 2 different religions viewpoints, but idk :dontknow: whatever you've been told i guess :smile:
no it all looks good to me, maybe ask your teacher?
Reply 6
Original post by laurawatt
different beliefs generally mean 2 different religions viewpoints, but idk :dontknow: whatever you've been told i guess :smile:
no it all looks good to me, maybe ask your teacher?


We've always been told that unless it tells you two write from two different religions it can just be contrasting views inside one religion if that makes sense? Honestly idek anymore. Thanks though.
You need a conclusion, what exam board are you doing? Im going AQA and you need to reach a justified conclusion. Its basically like an argument so you need to sum up your points and say which one is the strongest and which is the weakest point to argue.
You always need to put a conclusion in the end, stating whether you're against or for the statement giving an explanation. Also, if you want to score these top marks, you have to say something between two sides of arguments like: "The argument of sex in a loving and stable environment is the strongest/best because..." etc. Hope that helps :biggrin:
Reply 9
Original post by gandalfhan
You always need to put a conclusion in the end, stating whether you're against or for the statement giving an explanation. Also, if you want to score these top marks, you have to say something between two sides of arguments like: "The argument of sex in a loving and stable environment is the strongest/best because..." etc. Hope that helps :biggrin:


Whoops yep forgot the opinion but what do you mean by "somthing between two sides of an arguement"?
Original post by EmRep13
Whoops yep forgot the opinion but what do you mean by "somthing between two sides of an arguement"?


When you're talking about the side of the argument that is e.g. against the statement and you're giving 3 arguments against it. So you need to say why one of those 3 arguments is the best. Sorry, I worded it wrongly.
Reply 11
Original post by gandalfhan
When you're talking about the side of the argument that is e.g. against the statement and you're giving 3 arguments against it. So you need to say why one of those 3 arguments is the best. Sorry, I worded it wrongly.


SKSKSK I'm sorry I feel so stupid? What do you mean by saying which argument is the best... I've literally never come across that? Could you give an example?
Original post by EmRep13
SKSKSK I'm sorry I feel so stupid? What do you mean by saying which argument is the best... I've literally never come across that? Could you give an example?


For example, when you said "Adultery is also forbidden in the Ten Commandments, and so to commit adultery is to disobey God. Adultery can also result in breaking up the family unit which is seen to be the foundation of relationships and society in a faith community. It may also prevent any children in the family from learning religious rituals and practices due to the lack of a family environment". You might say why this is the best argument out of the arguments you've given and then state the reason for it. It can be any argument. Like you could say: this is the best argument because no Christian would like to carry a burden of disobeying God's law etc. Through this, you will score top marks if you'll add it.
Original post by EmRep13
SKSKSK I'm sorry I feel so stupid? What do you mean by saying which argument is the best... I've literally never come across that? Could you give an example?


I advise you watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K_p8xsGf4k&t=679s
Reply 14
Original post by gandalfhan
For example, when you said "Adultery is also forbidden in the Ten Commandments, and so to commit adultery is to disobey God. Adultery can also result in breaking up the family unit which is seen to be the foundation of relationships and society in a faith community. It may also prevent any children in the family from learning religious rituals and practices due to the lack of a family environment". You might say why this is the best argument out of the arguments you've given and then state the reason for it. It can be any argument. Like you could say: this is the best argument because no Christian would like to carry a burden of disobeying God's law etc. Through this, you will score top marks if you'll add it.


Oh! That makes sense! Thanks for your help.

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