Religious teachings on equality

STARTER:AS YOU SIT IN YOUR GROUPS....MATCH THE KEY WORDS AND DEFINITIONS ON YOUR TABLE...

Over the next two lessons, we are going on a journey...• From the days of Jesus when he

turned the world of his day on its head, with his teachings and actions.....to Bristol Cathedral on March 10th 1994.

• We are looking at the radical message of equality in Christianity and the reasons that society has struggled with expressing this idea.

Christianity teaches..... God created humans in his own

image(Genesis 1;27)...that men and women are equal because God made both.

Because all of you are one in the Messiah Jesus, a person is no longer a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a male or a female. Galatians 3:28

This is my commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you John 15:12

• Sikhism teaches that people of different races, religions, or sex are all equal in the eyes of God. It teaches the full equality of men and women. Women can participate in any religious function or perform any Sikh ceremony or lead the congregation in prayer.

Sikhism teaches....

Islam teaches.....

• All people are created by Allah. All are equal (though not the same). All important in own right.

• Muhammad treated others with respect and dignity – we must follow example.

• Ummah – universal fellowship of all believers that crosses all political or racial boundaries

• Prayer..shoulder to shoulder...expresses equality of all.

What do you think of those teachings?

• Give an example where they are or are not upheld in the world today

• Therefore..we can see that most

religions teach that we should treat people equally and with respect.

• In Christianity, the message of Jesus was a RADICAL SUBVERSION of the social and cultural rules of the time....

He taught.....In the Gospel of John...he washed his

disciples’ feet-a humble and menial task for slaves and women.

In the Gospel of Luke he accepts a woman as a disciple.

In the Gospel of Matthew he speaks to women and heals them publically.

He touches ‘unclean’ women and meets them alone... SHATTERING the taboos both as a Jewish RABBI and a first century male

Why is this so radical?TASK ONE:• In your groups...discuss why Jesus’

interactions with women are so new. Use the following stories to help you...

• Luke 10, 38-42

• Luke 13, 10-17

So we see that...

• Jesus healed women• Spoke to Gentiles (non-Jews )in public• Valued women in his ministry and

taught equality and respect between all people.

• A clear example of this is the story of Martha and Mary..

Luke 10.38-42

• Luke includes material showing that Jesus took a sympathetic interest in women.. therefore, this unique story of two women found only in Luke, must have something special to say about women, not about people in general.

TASK TWO:Read the story in groups and write down

the message of Jesus as you understand it.

WE FIND....

• Jesus values women’s work such as cleaning, cooking and housework.

• Jesus teaches that ‘just one thing is needed’, so freeing women from endless preparation towards a simplicity in welcome.

• Jesus recognises Mary as a disciple...

The Christian Church grew, eventually spreading and crushing theestablished beliefs of the day such as...• Animism• Goddess worship• Paganism

Taking these values of equality...what happened after

Jesus’ death?

These beliefs had been concerned with the harmony of Male and Female energies and a respect for the oneness of the universe. Along came Christianity with its male-led Church and ‘Father God’ and the radical message of Jesus slipped out of sight. This continued throughout history, with oppression and death for women and the female energies.

• Paul began by accepting the teachings:

of equality of women and men, saying that

‘in Christ there is neither male nor female ‘(Gal 3.27,8).

However...He also wrote ‘nor was man created for woman’s sake

but woman was created for man’s sake...to show that she is under her husband’s authority.’

(1 Corinthians 11) He was a result of the social ideas of his

day, and as the Church grew, it became a patriarchal institution, led by men, with a world-wide power both economically and politically.

So what of the carpenter’s message of equality?

• Just 291 women have ever sat in the Commons; a mere 6 per cent of all those who have ever been elected to the House.

• Among head teachers appointed to secondary schools in the last year, only 32% were women. (2008, BBC News)

• The gender pay gap widened between 2007 and 2008. The gap between women's median hourly pay and men’s was 12.8 per cent. OFSTED IS THE WORST OFFENDER IN UK WITH A TOP LEVEL PAY GAP OF 20%

In groups on your sugar paper

• TASK THREE:• Draw a visual representation of the issues

in society that inhibit equality between men and women.

• These could be:• Stereotypes. Roles. Expectations.

Prejudice• Use the learning from last week.• Add in a different colour HOW YOUR

GROUP THINKS THAT SOCIETY CAN CHALLENGE THESE INEQUALITIES.

Plenary...

• I am a alien from the planet Goddess, where all things are equal, who just DOESN’T understand inequality...

• One person in each group stand up and tell me why inequality exists despite the teachings of the Christian Church...

• (Discuss for two minutes first)

H/W or Challenge...

• Do you think that there should be equality between people? Give examples.

• Can you give an example where you don’t think this should be the case? Why not?

• Write at LEAST half a page.