Equality is a broad issue and refers to the equal treatment of sexes and ethnic groups, for example. This means that women should be given the same opportunities as men and that all ethnic groups should be treated equally.
One religion that has shown both respect to all ethnic groups and also discrimination is Christianity. According to Christianity, God created all humans equally. All humans are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26) and so should be treated with respect. This can be supported by biblical stories such as the good Samaritan in the Gospel of Luke. A Samaritan, of a different ethnic group to Jews, helps a Jew who is injured by the road. Other Jews just walk by without helping him. There are other passages in the Bible that do support racial discrimination. In Exodus 21 there is mention of slavery. This and other passages are used to support racial discrimination by some Christians. For example, some Christian Nazis continued to persecute Jews during WWII.
Overall, Christianity does not support racism and the key ideas of imago dei (made in God’s image) and loving thy neighbour (Jesus’ golden rule) support this position.
1 Explore religious concepts of quality. (8)
1 Explore the issues of gender, OR race OR disability from a religious perspective. (8)
1 Explore the place and context of a secular approach to sex OR race OR disability. (8)
1 Explore the work of one significant figure in campaigns for equality. (8)
1 Explore the contribution of one significant figure in the campaign for race, disability or gender equality. (8)
1 Explore the strenghts of religious approachs to sex OR race OR disability . (8)
1 Explore the weaknesses of religious approachs to sex OR race OR disability. (8)
1 Explore the strenghts of secular approachs to sex OR race OR disability. (8)
1 Explore the weaknesses of secular approachs to sex OR race OR disability. (8)
1 Explore a relevant example of debates about and the legal changes and social attitudes to it. (8)
1 Explore the ideas of Martin Luther King. (8)
Martin Luther King was a black Baptist minister who fought peacefully for the rights of blacks in America. he is famous for his speech ‘I have a dream…’ which outlines what the ideal world would look like once blacks were treated equally.
King lived in the twentieth century during a period when blacks were treated as lower-class citizens and were segregated from whites. It was even law up until 1965. These segregation laws were abolished after the civil rights movement. King contributed to the changes in these laws as well through non-violent means and was a key figure in the civil rights movement. He believed that God had created every human being, black or white, in the image of himself (imago dei) and so all should be treated equally. It is, therefore, a Christian’s duty to make sure that everyone is treated equally. The non-violent aspect of his campaign was derived from Jesus’ teaching of ‘love thy neighbour’ (Matthew 5). The blacks should conquer the hatred and violence of the whites, their enemies, through love and forgiveness, as Jesus’ did. Among those non-violent protests that King did were sit-ins, freedom marches and silent protests (much like the ones that Mahatma Gandhi did). King believed that the suffering that blacks were undergoing would make them stronger spiritually and that this, not violence, was their road to salvation.
Overall, King made a significant contribution through non-violent means to the improvement of the lives of black people living in America, although there is still a lot that needs to be done
1 Explore the ideas of Joni Eareckson Tada. (8)