Religion and EqualityLO: to know what is meant by

equality and what the Christian beliefs about equality are

Starter: List different types of inequalities

22nd March 2012

Key words:__________ - treating people as equals regardless of gender, race or religion__________– unjust or prejudicial treatment because of race, age, gender or disability__________– prejudice, discrimination or ill treatment against someone because of their race__________– someone who shows prejudice, discrimination, or ill treatment against someone because of their race__________– making judgements not based on reason or actual experience

Match the words from this box to the definition in the yellow box

Copy down your answers

DiscriminationEqualityPrejudiceRacismRacist

The Principle of Equality

• Fair is defined as something which is free from bias, fraud or injustice. It means reasonable.

• Prejudice is an idea or feeling which one person holds and which affects another person

• Discrimination is when they act on this prejudice and treat the other person accordingly

United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• Article 1: all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

• Article 2: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, language, sex, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or status.

Q. What are these statements saying?

Q

You have been allowed to ban just one type of discrimination which one would you choose and why?

• Discrimination against these people can take place whenever someone with power exercises that power over people who do not have power

Discrimination = prejudice + power

Remember: although laws can be made against discrimination, it is impossible to legislate against what people think; only education may eventually change the way people behave

Q

• People are always saying ‘its not fair’; they do not say ‘its quite fair’ so frequently.

• These things may be things that affect many people, not just simply; someone’s parents would not let them stay out after midnight.

Things that are FAIR Things that are UNFAIR

What do Christians teach us about Equality?• John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. • Acts 10:34-35Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.• Matthew 22:39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.• Galatians 3:28There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 25:31-40• The Sheep and the Goats• 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will

sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

• 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

• 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

• 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Luke10:26-37

• This parable demonstrated Jesus’ teaching that everyone should be treated with love.

• In answering the question who is my neighbour Jesus is explaining that people should treat everyone well and that the priest and the Levite did not do this

• How was this passage similar to this one: Leviticus 19:33-34

Racism and intolerance in the church

• The crusades• Spanish navy invaded South America

and tens of thousands of local people were massacred in attempts to force them to become Christians, while the Spaniards also stole their wealth

• 1948 the South African prime Minister, a Dutch reformed minister introduced apartheid legislation into South Africa

• In the early 1980s the world alliance of reformed Churches declared apartheid to be a heresy and expelled the Dutch reform church from the alliance

• 1986 all congregations of the church were desegregated in 1994 apartheid was fully abolished in South Africa

• The church then repented its sins for supporting apartheid.

WHY

• Why would the church support Apartheid?• Genesis 9:18 – 27

Slaves

• Slavery was officially abolished after the end of the US civil war in 1865

• They were forced to accept the 13th amendment to the US constitution: Neither slave nor involuntary servitude, expect as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the US or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

“‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and

can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.” (Leviticus 25:44-46)

Martin Luther King Jr

Famous speech on 28th August 1963http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnwDeZrGCzI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otA7tjinFX4&feature=related

Exam Practice

Explain Christian attitudes towards racism

Exam practice‘Everyone must be treated equally’ Do you agree with this statement? Give reasons to support your answer.