Prejudice is the act of prejudging someone or something, and usually implies judging another person to be of less worth or value, based on little or no actual knowledge of them. Discrimination is when people are treated badly by others because of prejudice.

Discrimination and human rights People sometimes say that discrimination = prejudice + power Prejudice can be about many different things: religion, race, colour, sex, sexuality, language, disability, age etc.

All prejudice and discrimination goes against the first two Articles of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights: Article 1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2. Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Christian attitudes towards prejudice Christianity teaches that everyone is equal in the eyes of God and so it would be wrong to make anyone feel inferior or suffer because of any difference between them: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. Matthew 22:39 Jesus based his teachings about other people on love:

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. John 13:34

There are also two important teachings in the writings of Paul about this: From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. Acts 17:26 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female

However, there have been cases where Christians do appear to be guilty of prejudice and discrimination: For many years in South Africa the Dutch Reformed Church supported apartheid, the system which meant that black people were separated from white people and treated as inferior. When Europeans were colonising other countries around the world they often killed the native people there and treated them as slaves. Many people also think that the Christian Church is sexist and does not treat men and women equally. Paul said that:

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. John 13:34 There are also two important teachings in the writings of Paul about this: From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. Acts 17:26 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28 However, there have been cases where Christians do appear to be guilty of prejudice and discrimination: For many years in South Africa the Dutch Reformed Church supported apartheid, the system which meant that black people were separated from white people and treated as inferior. When Europeans were colonising other countries around the world they often killed the native people there and treated them as slaves. Many people also think that the Christian Church is sexist and does not treat men and women equally. Paul said that: Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to enquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 Now I want you to realise that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonours his head. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head-it is just as though her head were shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head. A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.

1 Corinthians 11:3-7 He sees the roles of men and women as very different. It is only recently that some churches have allowed women to become ministers or priests (including the Church of England in 1994) but others, such as the Roman Catholic Church, will still not allow this.

Women should remain silent in the churches Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to enquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35

Sexism is commonly considered to be discrimination and/or hatred against people based on their sex rather than their individual merits, but can also refer to any and all systemic differentiations based on the sex of the individuals. Sexism can refer to subtly different beliefs or attitudes: The belief that one sex is superior or more valuable to the other; The belief that everyone belongs to either the male sex or the female sex; The attitute of misogyny (hatred of females) or misandry (hatred of males); as well as

Ageism

Gather a group of young children and give one lemon to each child Gather a group of young children and give one lemon to each child. Then ask the children to "get to know your lemon." Children will examine their lemons -- smell them, touch them, throw them in the air, and roll them around. After a few minutes, collect the lemons in a big basket, and ask the children to find their lemons in the pile. Remarkably, most children will recognize their lemons at once. Some will even get protective of them. Next, ask the children to describe how they recognized their lemons. "My lemon was big," one might say. "My lemon had a mark on one side." And another, "My lemon had dents and bruises." Then talk about how people, too, come in different sizes, different shapes, different shades of color, different "dents and bruises." After exploring these ideas, collect the lemons again but this time peel the lemons before placing them in the basket. Then ask the children to again find their lemon. Presented with this quandary, children will usually exclaim, "But the lemons all look the same!" This reaction opens the door to discussing how people, like lemons, are often similar on the inside. This 15-minute activity can have a long-lasting effect, especially if children are reminded of the lesson in times of conflict.

Begin with a classic game of "Musical Chairs": Place chairs in a circle with one fewer chair than there are students. Play music and have the children walk around the chairs. Tell students that when the music stops, they should quickly find a seat. Once they have done this and one person has nowhere to sit, challenge the group to find a way for everyone to have a seat. Children can sit on each other's laps, stand on the rungs connecting chair legs, or squeeze next to someone else on the same seat. Continue with a few successive rounds in which an additional chair is removed each time. Every time the group accommodates someone who would normally be excluded in a traditional game of Musical Chairs, compliment the students on their creativity. With each new round, the students will have more contact with each other and will be challenged to work even harder to find ways to be inclusive. You may also wish to connect this activity with historical information about Rosa Parks and the importance, literally and figuratively, of everyone having "a seat on the bus."

Religion is the greatest cause of Prejudice. Do you agree?

Look very carefully at this picture. What can we say about prejudice?