RS Social Harmony

Key terms:

• Community cohesion - Community work together
• Discrimination/prejudice - Pre judging someone
• Ethnic minority - The ethnicity in an area with the smallest population
• Interfaith marriages - Marriage of people with different religions
• Multi ethnic - Many ethnicitys in an area/community
• Multi faith - Many faiths in an area/community
• Racism - Discrimination due to race
• Racial harmony - Different races living alongside each other in peace
• Religious freedom - The freedom to have any religious belief
• Religious pluralism - Accepting all religions as having equal rights
• Sexism - Descrimination due to sex
• Conversion - Someone changes from one religion to another
• Exclusivism - Belief that only one religion is right, all others are wrong
• Inclusivism - Belief that one religion is totally right and others have only part of the truth.

How?

• UK promotes religious freedom in its pluralist society
• Government allows immigration and application for a citizenship
• Schools have to provide religious and citizenship curriculum
• Fund community projects for integration
• Passes laws on discrimination
• Equality and human rights comission

Causes of racism

• Ignorance
• Financial depression "they're taking our jobs"
• War and conflict e.g. Israel and Palestine, 9/11, 7/7
• Herd instinct, people group together when threatened

Peters vision below, except it did really happen and it was a symbol from God to welcome all races.

Good samaritan teaches not to segregate according to religion or ethnicity

Martin Luther King
Christian,
Speech about racism 'I have a dream' , peaceful protest for equality.
Believed God was on side of poor and oppressed.

Malcom X
Muslim
'Hajj is the greatest example of social harmony"
"There can be no revolution without bloodshed"
Influenced by nation of Islam and Hajj which showed racial equality.

For

• Understanding
• Role model for gender equality
• Encourages women to step up and do more in the Church
• Modern

Against

• Not traditional
• Other people may not want a female priest
• May not want to be celibate
• There were only male apostles

Women in Christianity
It is a patriarchal society, though there were two Marys and a Martha in the Bible, these were the only notable women.

St. Paul - "Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. "

Jesus, however, always showed by his actions that he respected and valued women. He included them among his closest companions. J made it clear in the Parable of the Good Samaritan how his followers should treat people - equally.

Some Christian denominations have recently begun to allow women to be priests or ministers (eg, Church of England and the Methodist church)
Some remain opposed to this (eg, the Roman Catholic Church).

So although Christianity teaches that everyone should be equal and should be treated the same, this doesn't always happen.