Racism (or racialism) is prejudice against people of another race or ethnic group. Racists believe that through out the world humans can be broken up into many different racial groups.
They also believe that most of these other groups are inferior this means that the racists group is superior to the rest. One type of racism is colour prejudice against people who have a different colour skin from your own. However racism isn't only confined to the colours of peoples' skins it can occur when someone from a different country is discriminated against not because of their colour but simply because they are from another country.Both the Church of England and the Catholic Church both say that racism is unacceptable in any form. However this does not seem to matter to some people as racism still occurs regularly today.
Racism kills many people each year. An example of someone who died because of the colour of his skin was Stephen Lawrence. On an April night in 1993, 18-year-old Stephen Lawrence was viciously attacked by a group of knife-wielding white men shouting racial epithets while waiting for a bus in a London neighbourhood.Stephen's wounds were fatal; his case exposed an unfair and inaccurate justice system and a corrupt culture that tolerated institutionalized racism and violence. This case also brought to light the racism that occurs in the police force. The fact is that you are three times more likely to get sacked if you are of black or Asian origin.
Another example of institutionalised racism is the Apartheid system in South Africa. It meant that some types of racism were to be made legal. It was initiated in 1948 but finally dismissed in 1994.Blacks were excluded from some of the best cinemas, buses, schools and even hospitals. Marriage or any sexual relations between blacks and whites were outlawed. This situation came about even though less than 15% were black this just shows how a little power can be taken too far.
There is a group of people called the KKK or Ku Klux Klan. It was founded to maintain the idea of white supremacy in America. They oppose anybody not of Aryan characteristics. The group they hate and fear the most is the blacks of African descent, whom they have committed countless murders against.They are usually coward murderers who hide them selves in there trade mark white costumes. Members of this unethical group can be professional people such as doctors, lawyers, judges and preachers.
The worrying fact of this group is that it is still vibrant in the USA. ii) What Christian teachings could be used in a discussion about racism? It is very clear that racism still occurs in the world today however there are lots of teachings in the bible which suggest that this should not be the case.The bible is said to be the word of god and from the Bible we can see that god showed love to all of his followers no matter what race they were. One of the most prominent quotes on the subject of racism is 'Love thy neighbour'. This is one of the Ten Commandments and so should be followed by every Christian on this earth.
This quote shows us that god wanted us to love everyone regardless of what they look like. God felt that it should not matter whether the people give the same love or respect in return.We know this is true because of the quote 'love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you' (Matthew 5:44). This may seem a strange concept however good has to start somewhere and if you love the people who persecute maybe one day in the future they will learn to love too. There is another quote to show us how we should treat other people but this time from another country: 'When an alien lives with you in your land do not ill treat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native born.
Love him as you love you love your- self, for you were aliens in Egypt.I am the lord your God' (Leviticus 19:33-34) This quote shows us that not only should we love people in our own country but people of any country around the world. It also shows us that god wants us to treat all other people as equals and love them the way we would love our family. Although this quote was applied in Jesus' time to people moving into Israel.
It can be applied in England to races such as the Pakistanis. We have let them come into our country to set up a new life. This has also been applied to refugees that have fled from their own countries to ours because of war or poverty.This quote is quite similar to the one above it is: 'My brothers as believers in our glorious lord Jesus Christ don't show favouritism'. It tells us as Christians that whoever we meet or, talk to or, ever encounter in our life we should show them the same treatment as the next person that we will meet.
We should also 'always treat others as we would like them to treat you,' (Matthew 7:12) Imagine how you would feel in the same situation and treat the person in accordance with that thought always ask your self would I like to be treated like this?And if the answer is no then change how you are treating that person. Another quote that shows the equality between humans that God wanted us to have is: 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus'. Although this quote does not say that God said it but Jesus we still know that god said it as well. We know this because Jesus was the son of God and god told Jesus what to teach his followers. This quote shows the unbiased and impartial way that God sees his people.Just as God does we should show as much tolerance and love for everyone on this world whoever they are whatever they look like every one should be treated as equals.
B Explain how Christians might put their beliefs about racism into action. There are two ways in which Christians have put their beliefs about racism into action: violence and non-violence. There are many well known pacifists such as Martin Luther King and Desmond Tutu. They believe as many Christians do that all violence is wrong. Martin Luther King was an American Baptist minister.
In the southern states of America in the 1950's and 1960's discrimination against blacks was very common. For example a black person may expect to earn up to half of what a white person earned, many blacks could not vote and certain areas of cities may be for 'whites only'. He wanted to change the situation for blacks but he wanted to do it non-violently. His first area he decided to change was the buses, as on the buses blacks were only allowed to sit at the back and if asked to give up their seat for a white person they had to do so.
Martin Luther King heard a story of how a tired black woman had refused to give up her seat; she had been arrested because this was classed as an offence. After he heard this he decided to conduct a 'bus boycott'. This was the start of the Civil Rights Movement of which Martin Luther King became the leader in 1960. In 1956 the government passed a law making it illegal to segregate people on buses. This is an example of how a Christian has put his belief about racism into action in a non-violent way in this case it has worked.Martin Luther King also organised demonstrations and marches (all of these non-violent) and in 1962 he asked president Kennedy for greater understanding of blacks .
He led a march the next year with 1/4 million people, the march included blacks and whites in Washington. His aim: to ease the situation of black peple, by protesting in favour of a new civil rights bill. The bill was passed, so his non-violence had worked. The other way that Christians have put their beliefs about racism in to action is by using violence.
One group called the Ku Klux Klan use violence to enforce there beliefs on racism .White superiority was the philosophy of the Klan, and they would often use violence and terrorization of blacks as a means of exercising this philosophized superiority. The Klan detested the idea of blacks gaining any rights following the Civil War into the Reconstruction, and terrorized blacks to prevent them from voting in elections or practicing any other right. Blacks and white sympathizers were often threatened, beaten, or even murdered by Klan members in the South; the Klan used the now familiar white robes and hoods to mask their identity. The Ku Klux Klan became known as the Invisible Empire as it grew and spread rapidly.
In 1871, the Force Bill was passed by Congress. This act gave the President the authority to use federal troops against the Ku Klux Klan if he deemed the action necessary. Soon after this bill was passed, the Klan all but disappeared. However the Klan made several come backs later in the following years and started to persuade people to join the Klan.
Today the Klan has 10,000 members and has been linked to many church burnings in one of these burnings five black girls were killed. However the Klan felt no remorse for what they had done. They actually believe what they are doing is right and that they are really superior to blacks.
