RACISM

WHAT IS RACISM?

• Definition- the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.
• A sin against the 8th commandment
• Violation of the golden rule ("treat others the way you would want to be treated")

RACISM THROUGHOUT HISTORY

• In the 1800s in the U.S. slavery was a huge problem
• African Americans were viewed as property rather than real people
• Even in Jesus' time racism was around, in the parable of the Good Samaritan it is apparent that these people were discriminated against and nothing good was ever expected of them

CHURCH'S STANCE ON RACISM

• The church believes in equal dignity of all people
• Everybody is created in God's own image so therefor it is not right to discriminate against any person based on how they look

RACISM IN SCRIPTURE

• "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgement" (John 7:24)
• "For God shows no partiality" (Romans 2:11)
• These two scripture passages sum up how the Church believes we shouldn't judge others by their appearances and that we shouldn't show favoritism to one race/group because God loves us all equally

FORMATION OF CONSCIENCE

• No one is born automatically hating another person just based off of their skin color
• It is a premature and immoral choice to be racist towards people for something they cannot control
• I hate to see racism around, and while it is not as prevalent as it was in the nation's past, some people still hold these outdated beliefs

EXAMPLE OF EXTREME RACISM

• The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is basically, the extreme physical manifestation of racism
• The Klan is a white supremacist group that has a history of violence and discrimination towards African Americans
• The KKK is still around today and while its numbers are still dwindling, their hatred and overall message still remains immoral

OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS

• One legal issue with racism (or accused racism) is going on in New York
• The mayor of NYC is working to put an end to the "stop and frisk" policy where police officers can stop anyone (mostly minorities) and search them for suspected illegal activity
• This brings up the issue of racial profiling, attempting to put an end to any accused racism in America

WORKS CITED

• www.usccb.org
• http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/kkk_and_racial_problems.htm ( History Learning Site)
• http://archive.adl.org/hate-patrol/racism.html#.VXcUJHD3arU