Religion and Equality

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Flash Page
Religion and Equality
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What does the Bible say about equality???
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free,
male nor female you are all one in Jesus Christ
(Acts 1726)
All people are equal in Gods sight
God made one from every nation of the world, to
live on the face of the earth (Acts 1726)
Love One Another (John 1334)
Whatever you want people to do to you, you must
do to them also (Matthew 712)
God created Man in His own image. He created
them male and female. (Matthew 712)
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What does the Bible say about equality???
Every human being is valuable in Gods eyes!
Everybody was made equal by God
The Bible teaches that all people are equal
before God
Remember JESUS WASNT WHITE OR ENGLISH!!!
The old Jewish system has gone all people are
now in a special relationship with God
Then Peter began to speak I now realise how
true it is that God does not show favouritism but
accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do
what is right. (Acts 1024-25)
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If you really keep the royal law found in
Scripture, Love your neighbour as yourself, you
are doing right. But if you show favouritism,
you sin (James 28-9) .
Christian Attitudes to Racism
What is Racism The persecution of others due to
the colour of their skin, their nationality,
ethnicity or heritage. A racist believes that
certain races are inferior to others. Racial
prejudice is when racist people exercise their
horrid attitudes (e.g.. Hitler, Himmler, Mengele).
What did Jesus say and do about equality? How
can we understand how His words reflect Gods
compassion for all humanity in equal proportion?
Jesus healed the servant of a Roman centurion,
even though the Romans were an occupying power in
Palestine and hated by Jews (Luke 71-10)
He befriended Zacchaeus, a tax collector,
although tax collectors were hated by the Jews
because they worked for the occupying power, the
Romans (Luke 191-10)
When asked Who is my neighbour?, Jesus replied
to the question by telling the story of the Good
Samaritan (Luke 1030-37). There had been no
contact between the Jews and the Samaritans for
centuries. Yet, in the story told by Jesus, it
was a Jew who helped a Samaritan when He was in
great need. He did this because he recognised
the desperate plight of the man and this overcame
all of their hostility towards each other. The
message of the parable was that all people are
neighbours to be loved and respected for what
they are.
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Two Physical Examples of Christian Attitudes to
Racism

• Born in 1929
• In 1952, MLK became a Minister for the Baptist
  Church
• In 1955, Martin worked with Rosa Parks, Jessie
  Jackson and Ralph Abernathy to rebel against the
  segregation in Montgomery, Alabama.
• Montgomery Bus Boycott
• 1956 Montgomery Bus Company revoked their
  segregationalist attitudes
• MLK gradually changed attitudes and perception
  of black people through campaigns, marches,
  lobbying parliament (etc)
• 1968 MLK shot dead.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Junior
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Two Physical Examples of Christian Attitudes to
Racism

• White man who grew up in the UK
• In 1943, went to South Africa as a Christian
  Missionary
• Whilst there, apartheid was made legal, and he
  saw how badly black people were being treated
• Thus organised overseas boycotts of South Africa
  by companies and sporting teams
• Became a leading figure in the anti-apartheid
  movement in South Africa
• Lived long enough to see apartheid abolished,
  partly due to his view that all people are equal
  in Gods eyes.
• Saw the release of Nelson Mandela from an
  African prison, and then on to become President
  of South Africa
• Died in 1998, having seen his works improve the
  life of black South Africans

Father Trevor Huddleston
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The Role of Women in Christian Society

• FACTS AND FIGURES
• 52 of women in the world outweighs 48 of men
  in the world
• Women earn less than 10 of the worlds income
• Women own less than 1 of the worlds property
  (in their own name)
• In the UK it has been illegal to discriminate
  against women since 1975
• At the same time it became illegal to dismiss a
  woman from her employment because she was
  pregnant
• Struggles with amalgamating family life with
  work life have resulted in women having far less
  of the most powerful company positions than men
• In the early 1990s, women were allowed to take
  clergy positions in the Church of England but
  the issue of them becoming Bishops was rejected
  outright
• In 1994, the Pope wrote a letter to Catholic
  believers and ministers declaring that the
  Catholic Church will never admit female priests,
  claiming that this is what Jesus would have
  wanted.

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The Role of Women in Christian Society

• Biblical Patriarchy
• Phoebe of Cenchrae (a dea?????/deaconess of the
  Philippian Church)
• Jesus Example (I) Mary Magdalene (II) Mary
  and Martha (III) His
  Mother (IV) the Woman caught in Adultery, (etc)
• Adam made before Eve
• Women meant to stay at home and look after the
  family as they did in Biblical times
• Silent characters in the Bible

Women should remain silent in the churches.
They are not allowed to speak, but they must be
in submission, as the Law says. If they want to
enquire about something, they should ask their
own husbands at home for it is disgraceful for
a woman to speak in the church (1 Corinthians
1434-35)
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And everything else.
Your Task

• IN your own time, come to the RE department
  and, using the Philosophy and Ethics GCSE books,
  copy down the three approaches written down in
  Christian Attitudes to Other Religions, and
  then also copy down the Bible quote given in the
  box in the middle of page 227.
• Read the information found on pages 228-229 of
  the Philosophy and Ethics GCSE book. If you find
  anything that you dont understand ask in next
  weeks consolidation lesson with Mr. C and Miss T.

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GRRRR!!!
That was another rubbish Ainsbot production!