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PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION (Martin Luther King Jr (witnessed the…
PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION
racial descrimination
often a problem in institution e.g. the police
Christians think this is very wrong
Stephen Lawrence case - black British teenager - stabbed to death 1993 waiting for bus - there were serious suspects - nobody ever convicted of the crime - 1998 Met Police Commissioner apologised to Lawrence family - long enquiry - Metropolitan police force found 'institutionally racist' - 2012 two men found guilty of murder - 2014 fresh enquiry into the conduct of police started
religious descrimination
e.g. Islamophobia=irrational fear of Muslims that leads to descrimination
antisemitism=hatred of Jews that expresses itself in discrimination
gender descrimination
Roman Catholics discriminate against women because they are not allowed to become priests (be ordained)
The church of England has had women ministers for a long time
in 1994 the first woman was ordained
in 2015 the church consecrated its first woman bishop
"women submit to your husbands as to the Lord"
"women should be silent in churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as the law says"
"there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ"
suffragette movement
disability discrimination
some Christians see the disabled as 'charity cases' while others see them as part of the community
not always equal opportunities in the workplace
people with a mental illness are often discriminated against in the workplace even though 1 in 6 people will experience mental illness at some point
there are increasing concerns that unborn babies detected as having disabilities may be aborted
Christian attitudes to prejudice and discrimination
Equality
- all humans are of equal importance, as we were all created by god
Justice
- all humans have the same rights to fair and equal treatment
Sanctity of life
- no human should be treated disrespectfully
Quality of life
- all humans should be able to live their lives free from fear
Martin Luther King Jr
witnessed the discrimination against people because of the colour of their skin
black people had few rights and couldn't vote
He viewed this as fundamentally wrong
he became a key figure in the civil rights movement in America in the 1950s and 1960s
he led a series of non-violent protests and demonstrations against the American government and their laws
in 1963 he led a famous march through Washington and gave famous speech "I have a dream..."
campaigned for a fair and equal American society
people where so moved by words they joined the movement.
the government bowed to public pressure and the black people where given the vote in 1965
"we must learn to live together as brothers, or we are going to perish together as fools"
"an eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind"
born in USA in 1929 as a black American
Causes of prejudice and discrimination
fear
through feeling threatened in some way
Stereotyping
- thinking that everyone in a certain group has the same qualities (e.g. all football fans are hooligans)
Scapegoating
- blaming certain groups for all that is wrong in society
the law
all forms of discrimination are illegal
cannot regulate what people think
so cannot prosecute peoples prejudice
Desmond Tutu
"what does the colour of someone's skin tell us that is of any significance about a person? Nothing of course, absolutely nothing. It does not say whether that person is warm-hearted or kind, clever or witty, or whether that person is good"
"racism is a sin... As Christian people we believe that with the coming of Jesus Christ a new relationship was initiated between people of different origins" Methodist Church 1979
prejudice
is an irrational opinion about an individual or group
Discrimination
putting a prejudice into action
Golden rule "treat others as you would like to be treated
institutional racism
is racial prejudice and descrimination that are said to be at the heart of some organisations
"love your enemies; do good to those who hate you"
"there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female for you are all one in Christ"
"do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it