RS - Prejudice and Discrimination

Definitions

Prejudice is pre-judging someone or a group of people before you know them. It is a thought.

Discrimination is putting prejudice into action.

How are they different?

Prejudice is in the mind whereas discrimination is shown verbaly and or physicaly through actions it isn't just a thought or perception.

There are many reasons for prejudice e.g

fear

igorance / if you are uneducated about different types of people

The media's views contribute a lot to a person's perceptions

beliefs such as religion

There are many types of prejudice and discrimination e.g.

Racism

agesim

sexism

stereotyping

xenophobia

An example of racism is when Rosa Parks - a black woman was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man, in the segregated south black people could only sit at the back of the bus.

This led to the bus boycott when all black people rebelled against buses, this led bus companies to change its regulations, and the supreme court declared such segregation unconstitutional.

Martin Luther King supported this rebellion. He was a Black man who believed in god. And that god believed that all men are equall and should have equal rights. he believed in non violent protests.

His religious beliefs helped him as he believed that god wanted to liberate black people jusr as he had liberated slaves in the time of moses. He was a strong christian. He was a strong believer of the bible's morals ; " love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you"

An example of ageism and stereotyping is the punk and the kit kat story. The old woman judged the young man on his appearance and age. She made the assumption that because he was young and dressed as a punk that he was a trouble maker.

She was so quick to judge him because he looked a little different. The young man was actually very polite as he let the lady have his kit kat without saying anything.

The lady dicriminated the punk by shouting abuse at him. She esumed that because he was a young punk that he stole her kit kat. She discriminated him as she put her thoughts and prejudices against him into action.

The typical stereotype of a vicaris usually an old man, serious, dedicated to church, old fashioned, old styled clothes, skinny, wrinkles, bald, boring and a beard.

the old vicar fit this stereotypical image.

The new vicar was the opposite of this image. the christians in the village did not believe that she was equal to a man because the thought that she did not have any experience. Also they believed that if god and jesus wanted women to preach he would have had women as disciples.

Roman catholic churches did not like the idea of women becoming priests: This is because jesus had male disciples.

Priests represent jesus at the altar.

for 2000 years men have taken priestly roles in the church. The Anglican Church does not mind the idea of women becoming priests: this is because in the old testament women were seen as brave, loyal and set good examples

In the new testiment many women followed jesus and were more faithful; being at the cross, at the tomb and first to see him when he rose from the dead.

All humans are equal in god's eyes.

Some people say that women should be allowed as they were more faithful; being at the cross, at the tomb and were the first to see him when he rose from the dead. secondly because they were brave and loyal and set good examples.

on the other hand some people oppose this idea and argue that jesus had male disciples, if he wanted ladies to preach his word he would have asked them to follow him. Also for thousands of years men have led the congrigation.

Finally I think that women should be allowed to preach in the church as everyone is equal in god's eyes, so if men can why can't women? Also some of jesus's best friends were women, if they were good enough for him then than why not now?

All men are equal

you should trear strangers as your friend

No-one is better than anyone else

Do not judge people

to have favourites is not correct

The bible is generally against Prejudice and Discrimination.

• Tolerance
• Friendliness and Metta
• Are Differences real?
• World Fellowship of Buddhists, 1984
• Caste System

Tolerance

Tolerance is a principle buddhist virtue - it means showing love to all human beings.

Friendliness and Metta - It means showing loveto everyone, treating people equally and following the eight folld path.

Are differneces real?

No differences are just an illusion we are all the same on the inside.

World fellowship of Buddhists 1984

Prejudice and discrimination are as bad as greed and hatred.

Caste System

The Buddha was born and brought up on the top of the cast system but he rejected it as he saw that it was unfair to judge people on where in the caste system that they come from.