CHRISTIAN TEACHINGS ON FAMILY LIFE  parents should love their children and provide them with food, clothes, etc.  parents should set their children a good, Christian example and encourage their children to go to church and be baptised and confirmed.  children should obey and respect their parents  children should look after their parents if they can no longer look after themselves. All Christians believe that children should be brought up in a family with a mother and father (unless one of them has died). The New Testament and the Christian Church teach that:

 the Bible has many references to the importance of family life  Christian marriage services refer to founding a family and bringing children up in a Christian environment as major purposes of marriage.  Christians believe that the family was created by God to keep society together  Christians see the family as the basis of society. CHRISTIAN TEACHINGS ON FAMILY LIFE Christianity teaches that the family is important because it is the basis of society and a main purpose of marriage. Christian parents should look after their children and bring them up as Christians. Christian children should respect their parents and look after them when they are old. Christians believe that the family is important because:

ISLAMIC TEACHINGS ON FAMILY LIFE  Parents have a duty to look after their children  Both parents have a duty to make sure their children learn all about Islam and be good Muslims  Children must respect their parents  When the parents become old, it is the duty of the children to repay their parents’ kindness by looking after them. Family life is at the centre of Islam. There are many teachings about family life in the Qur’an and hadith:

The family is important in Islam because:  it is created by God to keep society together  it is the way God wants children to be brought up  it is the place where children learn about Islam  the Qur’an says that children are a gift a God and that parents will be judged on how well they have brought up their children  Muhammad married and had a family, and Muslims must follow his example. ISLAMIC TEACHINGS ON FAMILY LIFE Family life is important in Islam because the family is the basis of society and Muhammad raised a family. Muslim parents should look after their children and bring them up as Muslims Children should respect their parents and look after them when they are old.

HOW CHURCHES HELP WITH THE UPBRINGING OF CHILDREN  Church schools provide Christian education and worship as well as the normal education.  Most Churches have infant baptism where parents dedicate their children to God and make promises about bringing their children up in a loving Christian home.  Most churches run Sunday schools and provide classed for confirmation which teach children about right and wrong.  Churches welcome families and have monthly family services at Christmas and Easter to bring families together.  Many churches run organisations (Cubs, Brownies, Girls’ and Boys’ Brigades etc.) and youth clubs and youth activates to keep children away from immoral activities.  Ministers/ vicars/ priests also act as marriage and family counsellors Churches help with the upbringing of children by giving religious teachings at Sunday schools and providing Christian schools so the children learn about right and wrong providing clubs, groups, etc. to give children a moral social life providing help and advice on family problems for parents.

ISLAM AND THE UPBRINGING OF CHILDREN  The main way Islam helps with the upbringing of children is through the Mosque.  Mosques run special schools (madrasahs) during evenings and weekends to educate children in Islam and teach them to read the Qur’an.  Mosques also act as social centres with boys’ and girls’ clubs.  Mosques have a family committee which helps Muslim families with problems and distributes the zakah money to families in need.  Many mosques also help with the running of Muslim schools. Islam helps with the upbringing of children by giving religious teachings at madrasahs and providing Muslim schools so that children learn about right and wrong providing clubs, groups, etc. to give children a moral social life providing help and advice on family problems for parents.