Prejudice and Discrimination - Describe the teachings of Christianity about discrimination and prejudice and how people should be treated.

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Prejudice and Discrimination

Describe the teachings of Christianity about discrimination and prejudice and how people should be treated

This question is asking me to describe how the church and the bible teach its followers to treat other people.

Prejudice is re-judging someone. You make your mind up as to their value before you have met them, often based on a stereotype you may have in your mind. Prejudices can grow from experiences, your family and upbringing or the media. Many people would believe that although bad, prejudice isn’t damaging, it is when it leads to discrimination that it is. Discrimination is acting on a prejudice, for example, refusing someone a job because of his or her skin colour.

One of the key teachings of Christianity is that all people are equal regardless of race, sex, religion or ability. When God created the world he created humans in his image. All humans were created as equals and in Gods eyes everybody is equal.

In Paul’s letter to Galatians it states this Christian teaching. “So there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free men and women, you are all one in union with Christ Jesus”. This tells us that when we are in union with God there is no difference between people. It seems that in this letter Paul; was responding to a problem within the church. He has responded by saying that in the eyes of God and religion in union together everybody is equal and has the same value. When it comes to the important issues within religion such as going to heaven your race or sex will not be taken into account. The way you have acted in your life is the most important. God judges us on what we have done rather than race; God doesn’t carry prejudice and doesn’t discriminate so we should do the same.

When God created the earth he created Adam and Eve, a man and a woman. Over many years different races have evolved, some Christians would say this was God’s doing. Either way all races and walks of life began from Adam and Eve and are therefore are equal. The only reason people are not treated equal is because of the way people have acted, not because of how they were created. If any Christian discriminates against another person then they have gone against God’s plan and have sinned.

The issue of immigration s one that is around today and something that the church has to address with it’s teachings. The British Government works on the policy of integration that allows races to live side by side with equal opportunities. The church would agree with this policy because in theory it allows races to live together accepting each other’s value and equality. The bible supports this: “Do not ill-treat foreigners living in your land. Treat them as you would a fellow Israelite, and love them as you love yourselves.” As with the Galatians quote this seems to be showing a response to a problem between races. Once again the teaching that everybody is equal has been applied here that there is no difference between races. Saying that borders between countries do not change people, their culture may be different, but essentially people when it comes to values are the same. Immigrants are often in need and Christians teach that you shouldn’t ignore anyone’s need, prejudices shouldn’t affect how you treat people and you should gladly accept immigrants into your country. This teaching is reflected in the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

In this parable it speaks of a man left beaten and injured. Two men – a Priest and a Levite – pass him whereas the Samaritan sees the man and takes pity on him. The Samaritan and the man would not usually get on with each other but regardless he recognises the man’s need; he clothes him and pays for him to stay in an inn. What the Samaritan did could be represented by this quote: “love your enemy”, even though he wouldn’t normally like him he follows Jesus’ teachings and treats him as an equal. He gives gladly and will be rewarded in heaven with eternal life for his kindness. The parable teaches that to gain eternal life you must “love your neighbour as yourself”. Your neighbour is everybody on the world; everybody is of equal value and in union with God. Because everybody is equal no one deserves to be ignored, you should put God first always, but then everybody else should be put at the same level of value as yourself. Putting yourself before others is seen as a sin, if you are doing this you are going against the teaching that everybody is of the same value in that you are saying that you are more important than others are.

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“Every human being created in the image of God is a person for whom Christ dies. Racism, which is the use of a persons racial origin to determine a person’s value, is an assault on Christ’s values and a reflection of his sacrifice”. This is a statement made by the World Council of Churches, it states that anyone who is prejudice towards someone because of their race they have denied the Christian faith. When Jesus Christ dies to give us salvation he did it for everybody on earth not just for white people or not just for African people, anyone who believes they are superior to someone else because of race has sinned and gone against the wishes and teachings of God. Racism is very much linked to immigration and the same teachings apply. People may have prejudices in their heads perhaps brought about by childhood experiences with their parents, for example that all Asians run corner shops and have large families. Through their teachings Christians hope to avoid these stereotypes. You should not prejudge people, they are individuals and nobody is the same as someone else. You shouldn’t place people within stereotypes before you know the truth, just because a race is different it doesn’t mean they are worse, some people believe this to be the case. Christians and other religions teach a policy of acceptance and respect for other races differences and values. This teaching applies also in to other forms of prejudice and discrimination. Racial segregation is an issue we a faced with today with a report showing that races in the UK are living lives near each other but at the same time isolated lifestyles. The above teaching of acceptance applies here, you don’t have to agree with their culture but you should accept and respect each other in order to live a life together with people from all walks of life. You should “love them as you love yourself” so you can live a lifestyle in which everybody is equal.

Some people believe that women have their place in society that they were meant for childbearing and housework. Surprisingly this idea can be found in the bible: “I permit no woman to teach or have authority over men”. It is said in the bible that women are to “dress modestly” and learn in quietness. However the church teaches that we are “all sons of God” and that men and women are equal. This is reinforced by the story of Adam and Eve, when the earth was created man and woman was created equal. However people in the conflicting argument can use this same story, the idea that Adam was formed first, then Eve. The woman was the one deceived and therefore a sinner. Another argument used is that Jesus chose men for his disciples. This is countered by the argument that he had no choice in the culture of the day. But when studying the bible you have to remember, one, that it was written mostly by men and therefore biased, and two, that, as it is now Christianity was a developing religion at the time the bible was written. Many of the teachings I have been talking about in this essay were possibly not around at the time or not as established, the church has evolved to new issues and adapted its teachings accordingly. It is a possibility that at the time women were not accepted as equals within the church, we cannot be sure because of conflicting accounts in the bible. It is possible to support any argument with the bible but the overall teaching of the church is one of equality for women because we are all one with Jesus Christ. Paul’s letter to the Galatians also supports this: “There is no difference between…men and women”.

There are many different types of prejudice such as prejudice because of age, social class or disability. Once again the same teachings apply, no one deserved to be discriminated against because of any of their characteristics.

However the church itself has not always followed these teachings, there is prejudice within the church and many of conflicts have arisen through prejudice, discrimination and lack of acceptance for other religions. One prime example of prejudice within the church is the fact that until recently women have not been able to be priests. Still now women cannot be bishops, this is clearly discrimination and evidence of the church going against their own teachings.

Still today there are many religious conflicts brought about by people who have not followed the churches teachings. People who have used the bible in the wrong way and believe they are carrying out God’s word start these conflicts. The bible has led people despite other teachings to develop prejudices against, for example homosexuals, and to support acts of discrimination like sexism.

In conclusion Christians teach that all people are equal regardless of race, sex or ability. “We are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ”. This teaching relates to all Christian teachings about racism, sexism and the like. You should love your neighbour as yourself and learn to live with people who are different to you. You should accept and respect their differences so that you can live together in a society in which everybody is of the same value.

In the eyes of God and Jesus everybody is of the same value, during his lifetime Jesus taught that God’s Kingdom is open to everybody, the key factor is how you follow God’s teaching that determines if you go the heaven and gain eternal life.

It is a shame that there is prejudice and discrimination in the world. It is something that we cannot escape from, the media is a primary source of prejudices, for example, the way in which women are portrayed in advertising. The church as it always has been, is somewhere people can go to find guidance about social issues in the world at the time. Although you may not believe in God the churches teachings could help us all through life. Discrimination can be unintentional as a result of unknown prejudices, because eof this paying attention to the teachings about equality could help the world become a less segregated society in which there is no fear of being discriminated against.

Explain how followers of Christianity may put these teachings into practice

Over many years there have been people who have been inspired by these teachings and used them to guide them to take action against a form of prejudice or discrimination in the world. They have found help and support from God and their religion to keep them going through times of suffering due to discrimination. Religion can provide hope for a suffering world and even inspire people to go further to wipe out the suffering and discrimination.

One prime example of this is Martin Luther King, Jr., born in Atlanta in 1929 the son of Alberta Williams King and Martin Luther King, Sr., pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church. He grew up in a middle class family and had an emotionally as well as economically secure childhood. Like many black children of his age experiences meant he became increasingly aware of racism as he grew up: a white friend who suddenly refused to play with him and being made to stand up on the bus so that whites could sit down. Many childhood experiences of racism such as these stayed with him and later in his live drove him to fight for racial equality.

King considered careers in medicine and law but decided that he would stay with the church and enter the ministry just as his father had done. As his father proudly said “he was a magnificent preacher”, he would later go on to use the teachings he preached and the skills he learnt through preaching to empower the black community to stand up against racial discrimination. In university and through other courses about ethics and philosophy he developed his ideas about the relationship between Christianity and the society. His commitment to social action was already firmly in place from the traditions of black religious protest, in 1935 he lead a march of several thousand in support of black voting rights and earlier his grandfather had organised rallies to support education for the black youth.

He spent many years alongside his father as the pastor of Ebenezer Church until an unexpected event changed how the rest of his life would be. The event was the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott, a peaceful protest that King had neither started nor suggested. Responding to the call of the people he became the spokesman for the boycott. He received many treats to his life and to his family, overwhelmed by responsibility and reaching the end of his endurance he sat down at his kitchen table with a cup of coffee and asked God for support and advice. This quote from Garrow’s biography of him shows his feelings at that time.

“And I discovered then that religion had to become real to me, and I had to know God for myself. And I bowed over that cup of coffee. I never will forget it … I prayed a prayer, and I prayed out loud that night. I said, "Lord, I'm down here trying to do what's right. I think the cause that we represent is right. But Lord, I must confess that I'm weak now. I'm faltering. I'm losing my courage. And I can't let the people see me like this because if they see me weak and losing my courage they will begin to get weak. And it seemed at that moment that I could hear an inner voice saying to me, "Martin Luther, stand up for righteousness. Stand up for justice. Stand up for truth. And to I will be with you, even until the end of the world." ...I heard the voice of Jesus saying still to fight on. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone. No never alone. No never alone. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone. Almost at once my fears began to go. My uncertainty disappeared.”

This shows how king was able to find hope and guidance from God and religion. He was reassured by the voice of Jesus that what he was doing was right, he was following and using the teachings of the church in pursuit of what is right. Jesus told him that if he stands up for what is right then Jesus will always be behind him and he will never be alone. The bus boycott and kitchen table experience was a turning point in King’s life, he now knew he had God’s support and committed himself totally to the civil rights movement even though he became increasingly aware that it would cost him his life. From the boycott king emerged a highly respected leader of the civil rights movement.

In 1959 on a visit to India he was able to work out more clearly his understanding of Satyagraha. This was Gandhi’s principle of non-violent persuasion, which King was determined to use as his main instrument of social protest. King used the teaching that all people are equal, he did not support the idea that all white people are evil as some black radicals believed but promoted the teaching that you should love your enemy and love your neighbour. King said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that”, based on the idea that two wrongs don’t make a right. He said that “love” was the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.

“do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek let him slap you on the left cheek too. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may become children of your father in heaven” This quote sums up King’s teachings to his followers, non-violence, according to King meant that we should accept suffering and remember that the oppressor is a human being too. We should forgive our enemies and love all others regardless of worth. Non-violence sought to convert rather than defeat the opponent, directed against evil rather than individuals. Responding to suffering with violence or even internal hatred we are not following the way of God. King based these teachings on the idea that all people are interrelated, if we accept suffering and remember that all people are equal then the world will become a better place to live in.

“If he does not beat you, good. If he beats you … you develop the inner conviction of accepting the blows without retaliating”. By accepting violence without retaliation, King taught that you could transform both the sufferer and the oppressor. He taught that suffering is redemptive and that through non-violence you can transform the oppressor’s heart. Through non-violence, King taught that the world could become a better place and with this policy you would be following the way of God and you would go to heaven.

Earlier I talked about love being the only way of transforming an enemy into a friend, this type of love is called agape. This is the key theme for King’s philosophy of people, he defined agape as "an understanding, redeeming good will for all men. … It is the love of God operating in the human heart. … It is a love in which the individual seeks not for his own good, but the good of his neighbour … agape does not begin by discriminating between worthy and unworthy people”. Agape is the type of love meant in the bible in teachings such as “love your neighbour as yourself”. King thought that if we love, in the sense of agape, we open the “door which leads to ultimate reality” – a world where everybody is equal and not only violence, but also bad internal attitudes are abandoned.

King believed that because we are all interrelated, everybody is responsible for how we live in the world today – “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. He used the teachings of the church about equality throughout his leadership of the civil rights movement, he believed that with these teachings – if they were used we could change the way we live in the world. He believed that the oppressors were not all bad, every human being has a part of them that knows the truth and that through non-violence the oppressors could be made to see the truth and learn to live in an equal world. In one of his most famous speeches he said: “I have a dream that one day God’s children, blacks, whites, Jews, Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the black people’s old song ‘Free at last, free at last, Thank God almighty, we are free at last’”.

King’s ideas are summed up in this quoting from www.spirituality.org: “Beyond barriers of race, nationality, and religion, we must identify ourselves with the poor, the oppressed, the wretched of the earth. … There are no aliens, no enemies, no others, but only sisters and brothers”.

Throughout his time as leader of the civil rights movement, King organised many peaceful marches and protests. He was successful in passing some laws against racial segregation, he was successful with the bus boycott for example, the boycott ended in 1956 with a mandate from the Supreme Court outlawing all segregated public transport. In 1963 he led a massive civil rights campaign in Birmingham, Alabama as well as drives for black voting, desegregation, better education and better housing. He also led the historic march on Washington in August 1963 protesting in favour of a new Civil Rights Bill, which was later made law. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. However in the years to come he became near exhaustion from stress and his speeches increasing alluded to his possible death. On April 4, 1968 he was shot and killed, James Earl Ray pleaded guilty for the murder and was sentenced to 99 years imprisonment.

King had experienced discrimination all the way through his life, which worsened when he became the leader of the civil rights movement. He was subject to violence and imprisonment and was finally killed because of his race. Religion was very important to him and helped him to carry on through hard times. He put into practise the Christian teachings of equality and loving regardless of race or worth in the form of non-violent protests, this way he hoped to transform the oppressors heart and improve the way in which we live. He had seen what Gandhi had managed in India and wanted to do the same in America. He achieved a lot in his time but didn’t manage to realise his ultimate goal, he followed God’s will and as Jesus promised to him at his kitchen table in 1955 if he follows what is right he will never be alone.

There are many other people who have campaigned against various forms of prejudice and discrimination, for example Archbishop Desmond Tutu campaigned tirelessly against the apartheid system in South Africa. Like King, he had been subjected to discrimination throughout his life; blacks were separated from whites and were treated as inferior. He was an intellectual, very spiritual man who held strong beliefs. He knew that the apartheid system was wrong and knew that God would want him to act based on 3 key Christian teachings: God created us as equals, God is a God of justice and God helps the oppressed. Like King, for many of the same reasons, Tutu believed that violence was not the solution, throughout his campaign he organised many peaceful marches as well as making many powerful public speeches. Tutu did succeed in his campaign, and also won the Nobel peace prize in 1984.

Mother Teresa spent her life helping the poor. She believes that without love there cannot be peace and that “Love cannot remain by itself-it has no meaning, Love has to be put into action”. She spent her life following Christian teaching, never putting herself before others and not ignoring anyone’s need, she is doing what she believes to be God’s will – doing what is right.

In conclusion there have been many people using Christian teachings, striving to do God’s will and do what is right. People like Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu and Mother Teresa have aimed to make the world a better place for everyone by wiping out prejudices and discrimination at the expense of even their lives. They have found support and inspiration from the teachings in the bible that have enabled them to see what is right and how the world could be. We can all learn something from the teachings in the bible, whether we are followers or not, but also from the efforts of these heroes whose actions shape the way we live our lives today.