RS GCSE EXAM REVISION: PREJUDICE & DISCRIMINATION
Key words
Prejudice
Meaning
Thinking badly of someone because of the group he/she belongs to
e.g. religion, gender, race, disability, looks, sexuality, lifestyle
Discrimination
Treating someone badly and unfairly
Positive
Treating a group of people favourably as they have been discriminated against
Discrimination
in the past. E.g. people with disabilities.
Stereotyping:
A simplified negative image of people and applying it to a group
Ignorance
Lack of education that breeds prejudice
Tolerance
Respecting the beliefs and practices of others
Justice
Making something fair
Harmony
Living peacefully alongside others
Racism
Treating someone badly because of the colour of their skin or their religious
beliefs
Apartheid
A system of “Apartness” & segregation of black and white citizens in South
Africa until 1994
Segregation
Two races living in separate communities enforced by law, e.g. in the USA until
the mid 1960s.
Sexism
Unfavourable treatment of a particular gender, mainly women
FAMOUS RELIGIOUS LEADERS WHO FOUGHT AGAINST DISCRIMINATION
Desmond Tutu: campaigned in South Africa to breakdown the system of apartheid.
He put Christian teachings, such as “Love your neighbour” into action. For
example, he led peaceful marches and protests. He saved the life of a black
policeman by throwing himself over him when a crowd tried to stone him to death.
He said South Africa should have a “rainbow people of God”. Apartheid was legal
until 1994.
Martin Luther King: a Christian who lived in America when black & white people
were legally segregated. Black & white children were not allowed to use the same
schools, swimming pools or restaurants. Black citizens had to sit in the back of
buses and give up their seats for white passengers. MLK used his belief in Christian
teachings such as “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” to
encourage peaceful protests, for example, the bus boycotts, the student sit-ins
and freedom riders (on the national buses) against racist laws. He was a very
powerful speaker & 1000s gathered to hear his “I have a dream” speech. As a result segregation was
outlawed in the USA.
Gandhi: A Hindu who believed in ahimsa (non-violence) and used peaceful methods
to fight racism and segregation in South Africa and India. He held marches,
demonstrations and processions demanding fairness for all people. He encouraged
non-violent mass civil disobedience. He led boycotts. He believed that the only way
to treat people is to love them. Although Gandhi came from a rich family he dressed
like a poor man to show his belief in equality and peace.
QUOTES PAGE
CHRISTIAN QUOTES
EQUALITY
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ
Jesus.”
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
“Love thy neighbour as yourself.”
“So there is no difference between .. men and women, you are all one in Jesus.”
“I have a dream.. that people will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of
their character.”
DISCRIMINATION
“I do not allow women to teach or have authority over men; they must keep quiet.”
“It is a disgraceful thing for a woman to speak in church.”
“Women should remain at home, sit still, keep house and bear and bring up children… If a woman
grows weary and at least dies from child bearing, it matters not. Let her die from bearing – she is
there to do it.”
MUSLIM QUOTES:
EQUALITY
“Women are the twin halves of men."
“Men and women are equal but they have different roles to play.”
DISCRIMINATION
“Men are in charge of women, because Allah has made the one of them stronger than the other.”
SIKHISM
EQUALITY
“Know people by the light that illuminates them.”
“All men and women are equal as they are both children of God.”
RELIGIONS DISCRIMINATE AGAINST WOMEN
YES
 For 1000s of years religion has shaped the
way women have been treated.
 The Bible has verses that discriminate
against women and this has influenced how
society has treated them. in the Bible it says:
 That man was created before woman.
 Woman was created from man’s rib.
 This has led people to believe that men are
in charge of women.
QUOTES:
In the Bible it says: “I do not allow women to
teach or have authority over men; they must
keep quiet.”
It also says: “It is a disgraceful thing for a
woman to speak in church.”
NO
At the time of Jesus society had a negative
attitude towards women. They were considered:
 Second class
 Had to stay in the home
 Were not allowed to pray in the synagogue
 Were not spoken to in the street
 Were not allowed an education
It could be argued that Jesus started the
women’s rights movement because he:
 Allowed women to be taught
 Allowed women to worship
 Gave women a role in the church
QUOTES:
Jesus said: “So there is no difference between ..
men and women, you are all one in Jesus.”
A leading Christian in the 15th Century said: In the New Testament it says: “Mary sat down
“Women should remain at home, sit still, keep at the feet of the Lord and listened to his
house and bear and bring up children… If a teaching.”
woman grows weary and at least dies from
child bearing, it matters not. Let her die from  In 1994 the Church of England decided that
bearing – she is there to do it.”
women were allowed to become vicars.

Because Jesus and his disciples were men
the Roman Catholic church says that women
should not be priests.
Muslim beliefs
 Muslims believe that men and women are
equal but they have different roles to play.
 In a Mosque, women and men have to pray
separately.
 In Islam a women cannot become an Imam
(leader of prayer).
 In some Muslim countries women are
expected to wear the Burkha.
 Muslims believe that women are expected to
bring up the children.
 In the Qur’an it says (4:34): “Men are in
charge of women, because Allah has made
the one of them stronger than the other.”
Sikh beliefs
 Sikhs believe that all men and women are
equal as they are both children of God.
 In the Gurdwara (temple) women can lead
prayers and from the Guru Granth Sahib (the
holy book).
 Guru Nanak said women deserve respect as
it is through them that the human race
continues.
 The Sikh scriptures says: “Know people by
the light that illuminates them.”
HAVE RELIGIOUS BELIEVERS DONE ENOUGH TO COMBAT RACISM?
YES
Martin Luther King, a Christian minister in the
1950s & 1960s, campaigned for Black citizens of
the USA to have equal rights to whites. He used
peaceful methods, such as speeches, nonviolent marches and boycotts to highlight the
inequalities Black citizens faced. Black citizens, at
the time, had separate schools, facilities, cafes
and were not allowed good jobs or able to vote.
They had to give up their seats on buses for
white passengers.
MLK wanted equality between both races & he
was motivated by Jesus’ teachings, such as:
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free,
male nor female, for you are all one in Christ
Jesus.”
“Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you.”
“Love thy neighbour as yourself.”
He gave a famous influential speech which
ended with: “I have a dream.. that people will
not be judged by the colour of their skin but by
the content of their character.”
He successfully:
 Ended segregation on buses, schools, parks
and other public places
 Secured the right for Black people to vote.
 Made it easier for black people to get jobs in
law, education & business
Desmond Tutu, an archbishop from South Africa,
campaigned for Apartheid to be abolished. He
used peaceful protests, marches and speeches to
highlight the problems that black citizens faced.
He wanted all children to be entitled to an
education – not just the white children. He
wanted to abolish the ‘homelands’ – areas
designated for black people to live.
In 1994 after Apartheid he set up the Truth &
Reconciliation Commission which asked people
who had committed human rights violations to
admit their wrong doings and ask for
forgiveness.
NO
Many religious believers have used and
interpreted holy scriptures to discriminate
against groups of people. Some Christians have
been responsible for encouraging racist attitudes
for example some supported the slave trade.
Here are 2 examples where the Bible has been
used to cause racist views:
South Africa: Apartheid
For many decades the Dutch Reformed Church
taught that God created white people superior
to other races. They believed that “apartness”
was God’s will. (Many years later they have
apologised and admitted their ideas were antiChristian).
Apartheid may have been abolished but separate
worship along racial lines remains the norm in
South Africa.
USA:
The Ku Klux Klan, the white supremacy
organisation, uses the Bible to suggest that black
people were created inferior to whites. They
quote from Genesis a story where a man (called
Ham) is given a blemish on his skin for
disobeying God. The KKK says that black people
are descendants of this man.
The KKK has its roots in the Southern states of
the USA, where black people used to be slaves.
It campaigned to keep the USA segregated. And
is still in operation today wanting the separation
of whites and blacks.
A FEW EXAMPLES OF RACISM REPORTED IN THE UK
January 2012: John Terry is stripped of his England football captaincy after allegedly using racist
language towards Anton Ferdinand in October 2011.
December 2011: Anuj Bidve, 23-year-old Indian man, was shot in the head in Salford, Manchester on
Boxing Day. 2 white British men are in police custody. There are reports of racial tension in this
community.
August 2009: West Ham & Millwall football fans chanted racial abuse at the England striker Carlton
Cole, calling him a “monkey”.
October 2006: A teenage schoolgirl was arrested by police for racism after refusing to sit with a
group of Asian students because some of them did not speak English.
April 1993: A black teenager, Stephen Lawrence (17), was attacked by a gang of white racist youths
and was murdered. He was stabbed twice in his upper body. This attack followed 9 other racially
motivated killings in London that year. None of the gang was originally convicted of his murder. This
led people to call the police “institutionally racist”. However, a re-investigation has led to 2 of the
gang being convicted of murder in 2011, 18 years after his death.
WHY ARE PEOPLE PREJUDICE?
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Bad experience at the hands of someone in the group they are prejudiced against
The way someone has been brought up – family influence
Scapegoat – blaming someone or a group for something they haven’t done (e.g. Hitler
blaming the Jews) and treating them badly
The media (TV, internet, magazines, radio, newspapers)
Patriotism – loving ones country and thinking it should only have one race of people
Ignorance & lack of education (not understanding other races, cultures & religions)
FEAR- e.g. Islamaphobia (fear of Muslims) & Homophobia (fear of homosexuals)
Peer group pressure – following what friends say and do
Christian teachings about RACISM: The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Jesus taught people to “love thy neighbour as you love yourself”.
A man in the crowd asked who his neighbou was? Jesus told him the story of the Good
Samaritan to teach people that everyone is your neighbour.
In the story a Jewish man was beaten and left for dead. A priest and a temple worker, who
you would expect to stop and help, both walked passed and did nothing. A despised man
from Samaria (A Samaritan) stopped, helped and nursed the man back to health.
It was the enemy who helped in the end.
Moral of the story: we must love and help each other regardless of our differences such as
our skin colour, where we are from, our gender etc
EXPLAIN RELIGIOUS VIEWS ABOUT THE VALUE OF THE INDIVIDUAL
Religions believe that each individual is created by God. They believe in the Sanctity of Life - that
every person has a special value to God. Christians believe that God has a plan and purpose for
everyone. In the Bible it says: “Before I formed you I knew you” and “You created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.” Both quotes say we are special, sacred and have a
relationship with God.
God created all humans as individuals and equals and we should treat people how we would like to
be treated ourselves. “There is no Jew nor Greek, male nor female, we are all one in Christ.”
Christians are taught in the story of the Good Samaritan that we should treat everyone equally and
with respect, even our enemy. The message of Christ is to “Love your enemy and pray for those
who persecute you.”
EXPLAIN WHAT RELIGIOUS BELIEVERS MIGHT DO TO CHALLENGE PREJUDICE
Religious believers think that prejudice, judging a group of people unfavourably, is wrong. Many
religious believers teach/preach equality and some have set up communities to demonstrate that
we are all equals. Gandhi, a Hindu preacher (1900s), set up Ashrams (spiritual communities) where
everyone lived as equals regardless of their wealth, race, religion or caste (social class) in South
Africa and India. He believed people should live in harmony as we are all part of God’s creation.
The Christian teaching of the Good Samaritan where the enemy, a Samaritan man, helps a Jewish
man who was left for dead has influenced many to challenge prejudice. Martin Luther King used this
along with Jesus’ teaching the Sermon on the Mount, “Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you” to challenge the racial segregation in the USA in the 1960s. His peaceful protests,
speeches and acts of civil disobedience (such as the freedom riders or the sit-ins) eventually changed
the laws in the USA to allow blacks the same rights as whites (to vote, to own property, interracial
marriage).
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH POSITIVE DISCRIMINATION
I agree that there is nothing wrong with positive discrimination as it is necessary to protect minority
groups, such as those with a disability, someone from an ethnic minority or an older person, from
people treating them unfairly. Everyone has the same human rights regardless of their abilities,
race, gender or age. Positive discrimination helps to allow equality of opportunity.
Examples of positive discrimination are keeping a seat with easy access for a handicapped person on
a bus, having ramps instead of steps in public places, monitoring company recruitment processes
(ensuring that companies are not stopping people getting jobs because of their skin colour/age).
These policies are good because in the past these groups have been treated badly/unfairly and they
have not had their views represented.
Most religions teach about equality. In Christianity Jesus actively helped those who were weak,
vulnerable and treated badly by their community. For example, Jesus healing a leper (someone who
had a disease that people feared, hated and didn’t wanted to touch) showed that he had
compassion for those who were treated unfairly.
Jesus said that God loved everyone regardless of our imperfections. “In my father’s house there are
many rooms”. This means that God allows many people into heaven and doesn’t have his favourites.
He also said “When a foreigner lives with you in your land, do not ill-treat him.” God created the
human race “In his own image” and this means we are all to be treated equally.
Gandhi also mixed with people known as the “untouchables” to demonstrate that we all human, we
all have imperfections and the no one should be treated unfavourably/unfairly because of
disease/lack of wealth and we should all have rights.
On the other hand positive discrimination can lead to resentment between groups. For example
where an older person is given a job as opposed to a younger person – it may mean that the best
talent is overlooked. It can lead to arguments and tensions between racial groups when one thinks
the other is getting a better deal. Positive discrimination shows favouritism to one group but in the
Bible it says: “For God does not show favouritism.” If, as religious people teach, we are all equals,
then treating one group more favourably can be wrong.