Describe the teachings of the religion which you are studying about discrimination and prejudice and explain how people should therefore be treated.

Authors Avatar

Describe the teachings of the religion which you are studying about discrimination and prejudice and explain how people should therefore be treated.

        Prejudice can be defined as a preconceived bias or partial opinion. Discrimination can be defined as unfavourable and unequal treatment based on prejudice, especially regarding race, colour or sex. Discrimination is expressed in overt behaviour, while prejudice is expressed in attitude.

        There are numerous different forms of prejudice and discrimination. Racism, discrimination based purely on the colour of a person's skin, is one of the major forms of discrimination present. There also exists racial prejudice, which is biased judgement which often leads onto racial discrimination. Racism can be present in the form of violent action against people of different races, prejudiced thinking and evaluating of a person just because of skin colour, and there also exists institutionalised racism - racist attitudes that are built into and part of the way of institutions in a country or region.

        Sometimes even positive discrimination occurs here such as when minorities which have been down trodden in the past benefit from a situation because of this. An example of this would be the current racial issues to do with the police force in the UK. Ethnic minorities are being deliberately targeted by employers in order to present a notion against racial prejudice, which would settle arguments about racism in the police organisation.

Join now!

         Sexism, unequal treatment of either gender, is another major form of bias. It can be both be a prejudice (which is often against the female gender) and discrimination in which a person's gender affects them. This discrimination according to gender has been highlighted in recent decades and is very much on the decline, yet the presence of the prejudice in this case can be questioned. The Church itself has sometimes been seen as sexist, for women are not permitted to hold any positions of power such as be women priests.

        Discrimination on the basis of disability, age, social status, ...

This is a preview of the whole essay