1. RELIGIOUS ATTITUDES
TO PREJUDICE

2. KEY TERMS TYPES OF PREJUDICE CAUSES OF PREJUDICE
RACISM
When you treat somebody differently because of their race
SEXISM
When you treat somebody differently because of their gender
AGEISM
When you treat somebody differently because of their age
Some people are also treated differently because they have a disability
CAUSES OF PREJUDICE

3. People have the right to say, believe and dress how they choose
KEY TERMS
SHOULD WE ALWAYS
TOLERATE OTHERS?
Justice
Everyone has equal value (for religious people this means that everyone is equally important to God). Because of this everyone should be treated equally and fairly by the law.
Harmony
Living in peace with other people. Showing kindness and compassion to others to build a sense of community.
Tolerance
Accepting that people are different and learning to value and get along with them. Allowing people to have different views and opinions.
Value of the Individual
Recognising that everyone has equal value to God.
YES NO
People have the right to say, believe and dress how they choose
Although people have rights, we also have the responsibility not to behave in ways that we know will hurt or upset others
EFFECTS OF PREJUDICE
Anthony Walker was killed in a racist attack. Anthony was walking with his white girlfriend when two youths saw them and did not like their mixed race relationship. The youths attacked Anthony with an ice axe and he later died from his injuries.
Hitler believed that the Jews were inferior to the rest of Europeans and killed over 6 million of them in concentration camps.
Women have been refused jobs or paid less than men for doing the same job (this is now illegal).

4. POSITIVE DISCRIMINATION
What is it?
When you treat people more favourably because of who they are.
POSITIVE DISCRIMINATION
Why would people discriminate positively?
To try and make things even in society, if they have been unfair in the past and change is not happening quickly enough.
In the 1960’s, America introduced an intiative called ‘Affirmative Action’, part of it’s aim was to increase the number of black students going to college.
Affirmative Action was introduced because, even though it was no longer legal to treat black and white people differently, attitudes were slow to change and the government of the day thought that this would speed up the process of an equal society.
IS IT A GOOD IDEA?
YES NO
It helps to give people opportunities that they might not otherwise have had
It can help make society a fairer place
It is still discrimination and discrimination of any kind is wrong
It could cause bad feelings as people might find it difficult to get on with someone who they think is there simply because of their colour or gender
In the Bible it says, ‘Let us make man in our own image’.
This suggests that everyone is equal because everyone is made by God.
Therefore Christians would be largely against positive discrimination because it is treating one group of people differently to others which they would not see as being fair. They may be willing to accept it in extreme situations if what was happening was already unfair.
WHAT WOULD
CHRISTIANS SAY?

5. THE STORY OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN
CHRISTIAN TEACHINGS
AUTHORITY
In the Bible it says…
BELIEF
This suggests…
CONTEXT
Therefore…
‘Let us make man in our own image’
Everyone was made by God
Prejudice is wrong because everyone is the same
‘The Story of the Good Samaritan’
That Jesus wanted people to help each other, even if they were from different groups.
Prejudice is wrong because Jesus said that everyone is your neighbour
THE STORY OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN
A Jewish man is beaten up and left for dead. Many people pass him but do not stop to help. In the end it is a Samaritan man who stops to help him even though the Jews and the Samaritans were enemies.

6. ONLY MEN SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO BE PRIESTS? WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
BACKGROUND
Traditionally men have been allowed to be priests and vicars and women have not.
Recently some groups of Christians, such as the Church of England have allowed women to become vicars, but some, for example, Roman Catholics still will not allow it.
YES NO
Jesus had to choose male disciples because he knew that nobody would listen to women at the time
Jesus chose 12 male disciples to spread his teachings after he had died.
Just because something is traditional, it doesn’t mean that it is right, eg it used to be traditional to keep slaves yet nobody would try to argue now that this was fair.
It is traditional that only men are priests
WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
In the Bible it says, ‘Let us make man in our own image’.
This suggests that everyone was made by God and therefore everyone is equal.
This had led many Christians to think that it is acceptable for women to be priests as they are equal to men and so should be able to do the same jobs.
Some Christians do not allow women to be priests, not because they don’t think that they are as capable as men, but because they think that God intended for them to play a different role in the Church.

7. RESPONSES TO PREJUDICE
WHO
What has been done?
Strengths
Weaknesses
The Law
Laws have been passed making it illegal to treat people differently such as the Race Relations Act 1976
It sends a clear message that discrimination is wrong
Changes in the law do not automatically change people’s attitudes
Individuals - Gee Walker
After her son Anthony was killed in a racist attack, Gee Walker set up a charity in his name to educate young people about the dangers of racism
Education can change people’s attitudes and help them to understand why discrimination is wrong
Some people are ignorant and refuse to listen to reasoned explanations of why it is wrong to be prejudiced
Communities- Corrymeela Community
The Corrymeela Community was founded by Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland.
It provides a place where people from both sides of the conflict can meet and talk to each other
It helps people to understand each other and realise that everyone is the same
It is difficult to change attitudes when there is such a long history of conflict

8. MARTIN LUTHER KING WHAT DID HE DO? NON-VIOLENCE
Martin Luther King believed strongly in non-violent protest and would not allow any of his demonstrations to be violent. As a Christian, he believed in following the example of Jesus who never used violence towards anyone. He was also inspired by the work of Gandhi who had managed to achieve equality in India through non-violent protest.
BACKGROUND
Martin Luther King lived in America during a time when it was legal to treat black people differently to white people.
WHAT DID HE DO?
MARCHES
Went on protest marches to raise awareness of what he was campaigning for
SIT-INS
Organised ‘sit-ins’ in places such as restaurants that had previously not allowed black people to be served
BUS BOYCOTT
After Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man, Martin Luther King organised the bus boycott and the bus company changed its rules because it lost so much money by black people not using the buses.
SPEECHES
Gave speeches to educate and inspire people about his vision that one day everyone would be treated equally.