RS Unit 3.4

have changed in the UK

• The suffragette movement showed that women were no longer prepared to be treated as second class citizens
• During WW1 and WW2, women took on jobs that men previously did and did just as well as men
• Equal rights for women in other countries made it difficult to claim they weren't needed in the UK
• The feminist movement meant that equal rights had to be accepted

women in religion

Catholic attitude - men and women are equal in society and religion except ordination:

• Creation story says that God made men and women at the same time in his image therefore are equal.
• It is the teaching of the Catholic Catechism that men and women are equal, and should have equal rights in life and society.
• All apostles were men so only men can be priests.
• Only men can be priests because Jesus was a man and the priest represents Jesus in the Mass.

Evangelical Protestant attitude - men and women are separate and have different roles:

• In the Bible, St Paul teaches that women shouldn't teach or speak in church.
• In Adam and Eve, Adam was created first therefore men are given more rights by God.
• Although Jesus had women followers, he only chose men as his twelve apostles.
• It is the tradition of the Church that only men should be leaders.

women in religion pt. 2

Modern attitude of Protestant Christianity - women are equal in society and religion:

• The creation story says that God created male and female at the same time in his image therefore they are equal.
• In his letters, Paul teaches that men and women are equal in Christ.
• Evidence from the Gospels that Jesus treated women as his equals since Jesus appeared first to his women disciples after his resurrection.
• There is some evidence that there were women priests in the early Church.

• Racist employers won't give jobs to certain ethnic/religious groups
• Prejudiced landlords might refuse accommodation to certain ethnic/religious groups
• If teachers are prejudiced against certain ethnic minorities/religious groups, they will discriminate them during teaching so those students won't achieve the results they should
• Prejudiced police officers will discriminate certain ethnic/religious groups such as stopping and searching them for no real reason

• People can learn about other religions and this can help them see what religions have in common.
• People from different religions may practise their religion more seriously and this may make people think about how they practise their own religion.
• People will understand why different religions believe what they do and this will make people think more seriously about their own beliefs.
• Religious freedom and understanding exists in a multi-faith society. This will help to stop religious conflicts.

• Passing the Race Relations Act which makes it unlawful to discriminate against race, colour or ethnic orgins; or to stir up racial hatred
• Passing the Crime and Disorder Act which allows more severe punishment for offences that involve racial or religious hatred
• Passing the Racial and Religious Hatred Act which makes it an offence to threaten people about their religious beliefs or lack thereof
• Making community cohesion part of the National Curriculum in schools.

• Without community cohesion different groups have different ideas about what society should be like. This can lead to racially motivated violence.
• The 7 July 2005 London bombers were British citizens who lost their sense of allegiance to Britain.
• Countries without community cohesion - like Iraq - have made violence a way of life.
• Lack of community cohesion makes it impossible for people to co-operate in a modern, civilised society.

racial harmony

• In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus showed that races who hated each other should love each other as neighbours.
• St Peter had a vision from God telling him not to discriminate because God has no favourites among the races.
• St Paul taught that all races are equal since God created all races in his image.
• Members of the Catholic Church are from every race.

immigrant workers

• The Catholic Church in the UK has set up the ORP to help ordinary Catholics to work with refugees.
• Local parishes provide English-language classes.
• Parishes have set up legal advice clinics to help immigrants cope with the legal issues of settling in the UK.
• Some parishes provide Masses in other languages. Therefore immigrant workers can maintain their faith and worship while settling in.

migrant workers

• The Bible teaches that God is a God of justice who needs his followers to behave justly
• The Catholic Church teaches that no one should be oppressed. Therefore Christians should seek justice for the oppressed.
• It is the teaching of Jesus to help asylum seekers in the Parable of the Good Samaritan and Catholics must follow the teachings of Jesus.
• Jesus himself was a refugee and asylum seeker when his family fled to avoid King Herod's killings.

Catholic - other religions are accepted by Christianity has the whole truth (inclusivism):

• It is the teaching of the Church in the Catechism.
• They believe Jesus is the Son of God and he shows what God is like.
• The Bible teaches that Christianity has the full truth, though God can be contacted by other religions.

Evangelical Protestant - Christianity is the only way to come to God (exclusivism):

• Jesus said that he was the only way to God.
• Converting their non-Christian neighbour is the way to love them because it allows them into heaven.
• Jesus' last words were to 'go forth and make disciples of all nations' so they must convert people of all nations

pt. 2

Liberal Protestant - all religions are equal (pluralism):

• They don't regard the Bible as the word of God.
• They believe God is a force like gravity which can be discovered by humans in different ways.
• They see people from other religions living good, holy lives.
• They believe there is room for other religions in heaven because Jesus said there are many rooms in heaven.

Some religions see it as their duty because:

• They believe their religion is the only true religion. 
• The only way for the followers of other religions to get to heaven is to convert them.
• Their holy books teach them that they should convert non-believers.

Converting others causes problems because:

• Treating people differently because of their religion and trying to convert other religions is discriminating against those that don't have the same faith as you.
• It's impossible to say all other religions are wrong unless you've studied all of them and no one who is trying to convert others has done this.
• Trying to convert others can lead to arguments and possibly violence when people are told their religion is wrong

Bringing up children

• Most religions encourage parents to ensure that their children are brought up in their religion and become members of it.
• Most religions teach that only those who follow their religion will have a good life after death and parents worry that children won't have a good afterlife if they don't stay in their religion.
• Peer pressures make parents put pressure on their children to remain in the faith. Therefore disrupting the family life if there's disagreements.
• Children attending state schools are tempted away from religious lifestyles into the lifestyles of other non-religious teenagers.

Interfaith marriages

• Often both couples must be members of the same religion to have a religious wedding ceremony.
• There's a question of which religion their children will be brought up in.
• There's the problem of what will happen to the couple after death if one person believes in reincarnation and the other believes in resurrection.
• Parents and relatives of the couple feel that they have been betrayed.

• Different religions are working with other religions to find similarities in their beliefs. Therefore they can find ways of living together without trying to convert each other.
• Religious leaders have set up a website to offer help and adivce to couples from different religions.
• Some Protestant Christian Churches encourage mixed faith parents to bring up their children in both faiths. Therefore they have true religious freedom.
• There are groups in most towns that bring together different religious groups in an area.