Defining Racism

1192 Words3 Pages

Defining Racism

To 'prejudge' is to make up your mind on an issue before you look at

the

facts. You can prejudge a book, or a film, or a person. If you

prejudge a person you

might decide what their characteristics are, what their personalities

are like and

whether you like them or not simple by the way that they look. If you

prejudge them

because of their ethnic origin or their skin colour then you are

racially prejudging

them. People who are racially prejudice may belief that their ethnic

origins or skin

colour makes them superior to other people. They stereotype people.

Racial

prejudice is also called racism. People may use their own

views to physically or verbally hurt others who they see to be

'different´ to them.

Examples of racism can be as extreme as the prosecution of the Jews,

by Hitler, or by

racist jokes, which are often thought to be harmless.

ii)

What Christian Teaching might be used in a discussion about racism?

There are many Christian teachings that are about racial prejudice,

and can be

seen throughout the Old and the New Testament of the bible. Many of

these can help

in discussion about racism.

In the very first part of the bible, in Geneses, it says that man was

made in the

image of God, speaking of all men without exception. A good example of

the teaching

of racism in the bible is the story of the Good Samaritan [Lk

10:25-37]. The story

tells us that often, our judgement of people can be wrong, and to

stereotype people is

incorrect. In the story Jesus uses the fact that the Jews stereotypes

the Samaritans to

be enemies who would not help a Jew, and priests and Levites were

stereotyped as

being good people who would help someone in need of help. The story

tells us that

this is sometimes not the case, and it is the characteristics of a

Open Document