Christian Perspectives Coursework
A i) What is racism?
Racism (or racialism) is prejudice against people of another race or ethnic group. Racists believe that through out the world humans can be broken up into many different racial groups. They also believe that most of these other groups are inferior this means that the racists group is superior to the rest. One type of racism is colour prejudice against people who have a different colour skin from your own.
However racism isn't only confined to the colours of peoples' skins it can occur when someone from a different country is discriminated against not because of their colour but simply because they are from another country. Both the Church of England and the Catholic Church both say that racism is unacceptable in any form. However this does not seem to matter to some people as racism still occurs regularly today.
Racism kills many people each year. An example of someone who died because of the colour of his skin was Stephen Lawrence. On an April night in 1993, 18-year-old Stephen Lawrence was viciously attacked by a group of knife-wielding white men shouting racial epithets while waiting for a bus in a London neighbourhood. Stephen's wounds were fatal; his case exposed an unfair and inaccurate justice system and a corrupt culture that tolerated institutionalized racism and violence. This case also brought to light the racism that occurs in the police force. The fact is that you are three times more likely to get sacked if you are of black or Asian origin.
Another example of institutionalised racism is the Apartheid system in South Africa. It meant that some types of racism were to be made legal. It was initiated in 1948 but finally dismissed in 1994. Blacks were excluded from some of the best cinemas, buses, schools and even hospitals. Marriage or any sexual relations between blacks and whites were outlawed. This situation came about even though less than 15% were black this just shows how a little power can be taken too far.
There is a group of people called the KKK or Ku Klux Klan. It was founded to maintain the idea of white supremacy in America. They oppose anybody not of Aryan characteristics. The group they hate and fear the most is the blacks of African descent, whom they have committed countless murders against. They are usually coward murderers who hide them selves in there trade mark white costumes. Members of this unethical group can be professional people such as doctors, lawyers, judges and preachers. The worrying fact of this group is that it is still vibrant in the USA.
ii) What Christian teachings could be used in a discussion about racism?
It is very clear that racism still occurs in the world today however there are lots of teachings in the bible which suggest that this should not be the case. The bible is said to be the word of god and from the Bible we can see that god showed love to all of his followers no matter what race they were. One of the most prominent quotes on the subject of racism is 'Love thy neighbour'. This is one of the Ten Commandments and so should be followed by every Christian on this earth. This quote shows us that god wanted us to love everyone regardless of what they look like. God felt that it should not matter whether the people give the same love or respect in return. We know this is true because of the quote 'love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you' (Matthew 5:44). This may seem a strange concept however good has to start somewhere and if you love the people who persecute maybe one day in the future they will learn to love too.
There is another quote to show us how we should treat other people but this time from another country:
'When an alien lives with you in your land do not ill treat
him. The alien living with you must be treated as one
of your native born. Love him as you love you love your-
self, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the lord your God' (Leviticus 19:33-34)
This quote shows us that not only should we love people in our own country but people of any country around the ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
There is another quote to show us how we should treat other people but this time from another country:
'When an alien lives with you in your land do not ill treat
him. The alien living with you must be treated as one
of your native born. Love him as you love you love your-
self, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the lord your God' (Leviticus 19:33-34)
This quote shows us that not only should we love people in our own country but people of any country around the world. It also shows us that god wants us to treat all other people as equals and love them the way we would love our family. Although this quote was applied in Jesus' time to people moving into Israel. It can be applied in England to races such as the Pakistanis. We have let them come into our country to set up a new life. This has also been applied to refugees that have fled from their own countries to ours because of war or poverty. This quote is quite similar to the one above it is: 'My brothers as believers in our glorious lord Jesus Christ don't show favouritism'. It tells us as Christians that whoever we meet or, talk to or, ever encounter in our life we should show them the same treatment as the next person that we will meet. We should also 'always treat others as we would like them to treat
you,' (Matthew 7:12) Imagine how you would feel in the same situation and treat the person in accordance with that thought always ask your self would I like to be treated like this? And if the answer is no then change how you are treating that person.
Another quote that shows the equality between humans that God wanted us to have is: 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus'. Although this quote does not say that God said it but Jesus we still know that god said it as well. We know this because Jesus was the son of God and god told Jesus what to teach his followers. This quote shows the unbiased and impartial way that God sees his people. Just as God does we should show as much tolerance and love for everyone on this world whoever they are whatever they look like every one should be treated as equals.
B Explain how Christians might put their beliefs about racism into action.
There are two ways in which Christians have put their beliefs about racism into action: violence and non-violence. There are many well known pacifists such as Martin Luther King and Desmond Tutu. They believe as many Christians do that all violence is wrong.
Martin Luther King was an American Baptist minister. In the southern states of America in the 1950's and 1960's discrimination against blacks was very common. For example a black person may expect to earn up to half of what a white person earned, many blacks could not vote and certain areas of cities may be for 'whites only'. He wanted to change the situation for blacks but he wanted to do it non-violently. His first area he decided to change was the buses, as on the buses blacks were only allowed to sit at the back and if asked to give up their seat for a white person they had to do so. Martin Luther King heard a story of how a tired black woman had refused to give up her seat; she had been arrested because this was classed as an offence. After he heard this he decided to conduct a 'bus boycott'. This was the start of the Civil Rights Movement of which Martin Luther King became the leader in 1960.In 1956 the government passed a law making it illegal to segregate people on buses. This is an example of how a Christian has put his belief about racism into action in a non-violent way in this case it has worked. Martin Luther King also organised demonstrations and marches (all of these non-violent) and in 1962 he asked president Kennedy for greater understanding of blacks .He led a march the next year with 1/4 million people, the march included blacks and whites in Washington. His aim: to ease the situation of black peple, by protesting in favour of a new civil rights bill. The bill was passed, so his non-violence had worked.
The other way that Christians have put their beliefs about racism in to action is by using violence. One group called the Ku Klux Klan use violence to enforce there beliefs on racism .White superiority was the philosophy of the Klan, and they would often use violence and terrorization of blacks as a means of exercising this philosophized superiority. The Klan detested the idea of blacks gaining any rights following the Civil War into the Reconstruction, and terrorized blacks to prevent them from voting in elections or practicing any other right. Blacks and white sympathizers were often threatened, beaten, or even murdered by Klan members in the South; the Klan used the now familiar white robes and hoods to mask their identity. The Ku Klux Klan became known as the Invisible Empire as it grew and spread rapidly.
In 1871, the Force Bill was passed by Congress. This act gave the President the authority to use federal troops against the Ku Klux Klan if he deemed the action necessary. Soon after this bill was passed, the Klan all but disappeared.
However the Klan made several come backs later in the following years and started to persuade people to join the Klan. Today the Klan has 10,000 members and has been linked to many church burnings in one of these burnings five black girls were killed. However the Klan felt no remorse for what they had done. They actually believe what they are doing is right and that they are really superior to blacks.
Some of there aims today are:
* Reassert America's White Christian heritage.
* Return prayer to school.
* Stop all non-white immigration.
* Drug testing for all welfare recipients. If they have money for drugs, they don't need your tax dollars.
* Quarantine all AIDS carriers.
* Make the purchase of American industry and property by foreigners illegal.
* Do away with free trade that harms the American worker and employ a policy of protectionism.
* Workfare, not welfare. You work for your check, so should they!
* Troops on our southern border to stop the entry of illegal aliens.
* Stop reverse discrimination by doing away with Affirmative Action.
* Declare all laws attempting to enforce gun control as unconstitutional
Christians have used both violence and non-violence to act on their beliefs. You could argue that both have been successful but what does successful mean? If it means acquiring the hate and disgust of nearly an entire nation then you could say that the KKK are that most successful. However if you look at the Pacifist way (Martin
Luther King) you will notice that it has gained more by way of respect and awareness for himself and the black community.
C 'Violence is an appropriate response to racism'
Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer and show you have thought about
different points of view.
There are two different responses to this answer I will be reporting on both in this question. Firstly on the Christian view point. They may not agree with this statement as it goes against teachings of the bible such as 'always treat others as you would like them to treat you' (Matthew 7:12). This quote shows us that most Christians feel that you should treat others with the respect and love that they deserve what ever their colour or race therefore a proper Christian would not accept that violence is an appropriate response to racism. Also a Christian has been taught to 'love thy neighbour' which should mean not doing any harm to them.
Some Christians may believe in ' the lesser of two evils theory' which would mean that if they thought that using non-violence would be worse that using violence then they would proceed and use violence but only in extreme circumstances. An example of someone who used pacifism to combat racism is Martin Luther King, as I have mentioned previously he fought for the rights of blacks in some of the most racist parts of the USA and he achieved many of his goals through using non-violent protests and rallies. He believed that there was always a way other than violence so he would not have agreed with they above statement.
On the other hand there are some Christians who believe that violence is the right course of action to take against racism. One of these Christians is Desmond Tutu he fought for the rights of blacks as well however instead of being a pacifist he felt that violence was necessary to fight the racist whites. Here is part of a speech showing this view:
"I myself have said times without number that I am opposed to all forms of violence - that of those who wish to uphold the vicious and unjust and totally immoral and evil system of apartheid and of those who want to overthrow that system. I have also said that the primary and provocative violence is that of apartheid, the violence of a deliberately inferior educational system intended to prepare our children for perpetual serfdom in the land of their birth, the violence of hunger and malnutrition in their Bantustans deliberately created as ghettoes of poverty and misery.. the violence of forced population removals, when over 2 million blacks have been uprooted from their homes and dumped in the poverty-stricken Bantustans, bereft of their South African citizenship by a violence that has turned them into aliens in their motherland; we are talking about the violence of the migratory labour system which forces men to live an unnatural existence in single-sex hostels, with deleterious consequences for black family life; ... I refer to the legalised violence of detention without trial and of arbitrary banning.
I have said many times before that this institutionalised structural violence of South Africa is making many blacks desperate as they despair of peaceful change, for until 1960 since 1912 their political groups have struggled valiantly to bring about change by peaceful means. But what has been the result? A growing intransigence on the part of the authorities, replying with teargas, police dogs, police bullets and death; an escalating violence that has shut out the possibility of peaceful negotiation... Many blacks have despaired of peaceful change. I have warned that when people become desperate, then they will use desperate methods.
Desmond Tutu felt that violence was the only option.
I feel that in some cases violence may be necessary in some form or another if nothing else is working because if your life is in danger and you need to save yourself then you cannot really continue to be a pacifist. However in general I feel that one should follow Martin Luther King's example and fight for your rights whether it be for your colour or sex or religion pacifism is really the only way to achieve your goals.