RELIGION, HUMAN RIGHTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE Flashcards
What is social justice?
Justice which tries to fairly distribute wealth, where the law is fair to all, and there are equal rights and opportunities for all.
What are key Buddhist beliefs related to social justice?
Right Action, Livelihood, Speech, Effort and intention should, if carried out properly, lead to social justice.
What are key Christian beliefs related to social justice?
The teachings of Jesus used in terms of liberation from unjust economic, political or social conditions.
Discuss the Human Rights Act
The U.N. declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the UK Human Rights Act (1998) include basic rights and freedoms.
What is freedom of religious expression?
The right of any person to follow the religion of their choice and to be open about what they believe. In the UK you cannot be told legally that you are not allowed to follow a particular religion.
What do Buddhists teach about freedom of religious expression?
Buddhism believe that all religions are just different ways to the same religious truths. People should decide for themselves after hearing/learning the teachings - no persecution and religious freedom is the right path.
However, there have been occasions of Buddhist violence against other religions, for example in Sri Lanka and Thailand.
What do Christians believe about freedom of religious expression?
Many believe the only way to eternal life is through Jesus, so this excludes all other religions. Hence, they try to convert others to the word of Jesus - discrimination should not be shown to peoples of other faiths and neither should persecution be perpetrated.
However, some say as long as the person lives a moral life, through any religious belief or none) then eternal life is still available. All religions basically have the same moral code anyway.
What is freedom from persecution because of religion?
The right to be legally protected if someone targets you because of the religion you follow. They would have committed a hate crime which is a criminal offence.
What are some different opinions about freedom of religious expression?
Some take offence at religion if they are non-religious, seeing any expression as unacceptable, even an attempt to proselytise.
It could make people targets of hate crimes as they make the selves known, hence some stay quiet out of fear.
Religion divides people rather than bringing them together, for example where two different religions differ in attitude to something.
Some religions include practices which are not legal in the UK, for example the clash between Shariah and UK law on how to deal with adultery, or the acceptance of polygamy. This often leads to negative publicity and discrimination of those perceived to be in that religion.
What is prejudice?
To pre-judge something or someone, usually without any real evidence for that judgement.
What are some causes for prejudice?
Bad experience Upbringing Media Ignorance Scapegoating.
What are some types of prejudice people ,au experience?
Homophobia
Disability prejudice
Gender prejudice.
What is discrimination?
To put prejudiced idea into action.
What is positive discrimination?
To promote opportunities for minority groups so they are better represented.
What is the status women in Catholic Christianity?
Women cannot be priests or higher.
What is the status of women in the Church of England?
Woman can be vicarage and in 2016 the Church has its first woman bishop.
What is racism?
The belief that the colour of a persons skin, or their race, affects their ability; that some races are better than others.
What are Buddhist beliefs on racism?
Believes discrimination leads to Dukkha so it must be wrong and avoided.
The belief not to harm others or use harmful language and develop metta.
Everyone is equal because everyone is welcome in the sangha.
Prejudice creates bad karma and has a negative impact on rebirth.
The Dalai Lama stayed that the best way to live life was to ‘always think compassion’.
What are Christian beliefs on racism?
‘God created everyone equally’
‘We are all equal in Christ’
‘Love thy neighbour’ ‘treat others as we wish to be treated’
In the Good Samaritan story the man is helped because of his need, not because of who he was or wasn’t (the victim and the helper were actually from enemy nations).
How can people become wealthy?
Earn it
Win it
Inherit it
Achieve it undeservingly eg through crime.
What are Buddhist attitudes to wealth?
Nothing wrong with having wealth but rather how it is used.
“Riches ruins the foolish…through craving for riches, the foolish one ruins himself”
Greed for wealth is associated with the Three Poisons and is a form of craving.
Unskilful thoughts from greed keep us circling in samsara, in an endless round of repetitive habitual attachment.
Buddhism teaches Right action, right thought, right intention and livelihood - for the wealthy to see poverty and ignore it would be wrong.
What are Christian attitudes towards wealth?
Nothing wrong with wealth itself, instead it is how we use it. Wealth is seen as a gift from God so our money should come from lawful means. In the Bible there is the warning that wrong attitudes to money could lead people away from God.
“The love of money is the root of all evil”
“No one can serve two masters…You cannot serve both God and money”
Be on your guard against all kinds of greed: a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.
What are excessive loans?
Massive interest rates on loaned money that leaf to more debt.
What is fair pay?
To be paid a rate appropriate to the work done.
What is people trafficking?
The modern-day slave trade.
What are some possible reasons for poverty?
Family background, addiction, attitudes to education, idleness, high unemployment, unfair trade, lack of opportunities, poor family situations.
