Social Harmony

Growth of equal rights for women in the UK
•Women have always had rights to own property.
•In the past when women married, their husbands had the right to use their property
•Women would stay at home and look after the children
•Women began to fight

•1882 Married Women’s Property Act allows married women to keep their property separate
•1892 Local Government Act – women can stand as councillors
•1918 Representation of the People Act – women over 31 can vote
•1928 Electoral Reform Act – women can vote and stand as MPs
•Not until 1970s more equal rights – like same pay 1975 Sex Discrimination Act – illegal to discriminate based on sex.

Christian attitudes to the roles of men and women
•There are different attitudes to the roles of men and women in Christianity
•Traditional/Conservative Protestant:
•Men and women have separate roles
•Women bring up children in a Christian home
•Women should not speak in church and must submit to their husbands
•Men provide for family and lead family in religion
•Men must love wives
•Only men can be Church leaders and teachers
•This is based on: St. Paul says women should not speak or teach in church; Genesis 2 Adam is created first; disciples of Jesus are men

•Modern/Liberal Christian view:
•Accept that men and women are equal and they have women ministers and priests.
•Men and women have equal roles
•This is based on:
•Teaching in Genesis that men and women were created at the same time and equally
•St. Paul taught that in Christ there is neither male nor female
•In the Gospel Jesus treated women as his equals – he treated a Samaritan woman as his equal; women stayed with him at the cross; he appeared to women after the resurrection

Sikhism and the roles of men and women
•The religious attitude: men and women are equal.
•Gurdwara committees have women
•There are some religious leaders in Sikhism
•This is because; Guru Nanak taught that male and female are two halves of a whole
•Another Guru appointed women preachers
•The wife of Guru Gobind Singh mixed the amrit and was admitted in the khalsa
•The Guru Granth Sahib teaches that God is neither male nor female.

HOWEVER!
•The cultural attitude is different
•Some believe that men are the protectors of women and should have the roles of breadwinner and leader of the house
•Women should look after the home and children, not be religious leaders
•This is because: most Sikhs come from the Punjab where women are not given equal rights
•Punjabi society sees girls as the property of fathers then husbands; it is difficult to change cultural attitudes

The UK as a multi-ethnic society
•UK has always been mixed – Celts, Anglos, Romans, Normans, Saxons, etc are all ancestors of the British
•UK has always believed in human freedom and offered safety for people who were escaping persecution
•In the 19th century Britain began to build and empire around the world and let people come to Britain from the Empire
•As a result, small black communities grew in Bristol, Liverpool, and Cardiff
•1950s immigration from Indian, West Africa and West Indies to help a labour shortage
•Immigration continued

Problems of prejudice, discrimination and racism
•In a multi-ethnic society there can be prejudice where somebody believes other are better.
•Prejudiced people might discriminate and not give jobs or accommodation to people based on race or religion.
•This might make people angry and turn to crime
•UK promotes racial harmony by law, education and practice.
•The race relations act makes it illegal to discriminate

Benefits of living in a multi-ethnic society
•Likely to be less chance of war because people from different ethnic groups and nationalities get to know each other
•Stimulates industry and change because new people will bring in new ideas and new ways of doing things
•Can make life more interesting – different food, music, fashion, entertainment
•Helps us to see we are all part of the human race

Christianity and racial harmony
•Christian Church has members from every country in the world
•Parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus taught that Christians should love their neighbours no matter who.
•Jesus treated a woman as an equal; healed a servant; had a black African help him to carry his cross
•St. St. Paul taught that everyone is equal in Christ and God created all nations
•There are Christian leaders of all races

Sikhism and racial harmony
•Most Sikhs are ethnic Punjabis but they do not regards any race as superior to another
•It is opposed to racism
•The Gurus opposed the caste system and treated people as equals
•Guru Nanak said anyone from any background could be a Sikh
•There is only one God that created humanity

UK as a multi-faith society
•Mono-faith = one religion; multi-faith = more than one
•UK multi-faith since the Reformation when we had Christians and Protestants
•Laws had to encourage religious toleration
•Members of any religion are free to worship and have equal political rights
•It is in the 20th Century that non-Christian religions came to Britain

Religious freedom and pluralism
•Benefits of living in a multi-faith society:
•Learn about other religions
•Makes you think about how you practise your religion
•More understanding about different religions
•A multi-faith society needs to accept all religious have the right to co-exist – religious pluralism
•Can’t have one true religion
•Must have freedom to practise religion

Issues in a multi-faith society
•Conversion: Some religions like Christianity and Islam see it as a right and duty to convert everyone to their religion.
•They believe their religion is true and others are mistaken
•Some say that if you try to convert you are discriminating because of religion
•It can lead to arguments and even violence

•Bringing up children:
•A multi-faith society required children to have religious freedom
•Children should learn about different religions
•Some parents do not want their children to learn about different faiths

•Mixed marriages
•In a multi-faith society people may meet and fall in love with someone of a different religion
•Parents may not approve
•What religion will the children be?
•How will they be burried?
•Betraying roots?
Christian attitudes towards other religions
•All Christians believe everyone has the right to follow or not follow any religion they choose.
•Many Christians feel that they have a right to try and convert as Christianity is the only true religion.
•This is because Jesus said ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’
•If you love your neighbour you should try to convert them

•Many Christians believe that other religions have some truth but only Christianity has the whole truth. All religions should be respected but they should still try to convert
•Some Christians believe that all religions are equal and are just different ways fo finding God. We should work together
•They believe this because they say the Bible is not the word of God, all religions live good lives, Jesus said ‘In my Father’s house are many rooms’

Sikhism and other religions
•All Sikhs believe in religious freedom
•Most Sikhs believe that only Sikhism has the whole truth but all religions are ways to find God.
•This is because there are writings from other religions in the Guru Granth Sahib
•Some Sikhs believe that Sikhism is the true religion and is the only way to achieve mukti.