Religion and Community Cohesion - Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies Unit 3

Religion and Community Cohesion - Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies Unit 3

1. Christianity and Role of Women

   • Traditional - women should not speak in Church or be priests and men should be head of the family. St Paul states in the Bible that women have to submit to their husbands and are prohibited to speak in church.
   • Liberal - Men and women should have equal societal roles. Many protestant churches now have women priests and recently, the first woman bishop.
     • "There is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ" - St Paul
     • Jesus treated women as equals and had women followers such as Martha and Mary.
     • Jesus chose men to be his apostles, only because that was time's culture.
   • Catholic - Men and women are equal, because everyone is equal in eyes of God. However, only men can be priests as Jesus only chose male disciples and Jesus himself was male, whom the priest represents in mass.

2. Growth of Women's Rights

   • Women have right to vote.
   • Equal Pay Act
   • Sex Discrimination Act
   • Women took male jobs in World War

3. Bible and Men and Women

   • Equal
     • "You are all one in Jesus Christ" - St Paul
     • Jesus first appeared to women at resurrection.
     • Jesus spoke to Samaritan woman in public.
     • Jesus had female followers.
     • Women were with Jesus in his last few hours on the cross.
   • Unequal
     • Adam before Eve.
     • Woman commits first sin, further suggesting that man should follow suit.
     • Paul expected women to serve husbands in marriage.
     • Paul's letters to Timothy stated that no women should be permitted to speak in church.

4. How do religions promote Community Cohesion?

   • Some religious groups are helping interfaith marriages by providing special ceremonies for interfaith couples, in order to promote cohesion.
   • It is a firm part of the national curriculum within schools to teach about community cohesion.
   • Masses are often held in various different languages and religions are open to celebrating festivals of different religions in order to create a shared sense of belonging.
   • Inter Faith Network was set up to promote relations between varying religious groups.
   • Religious Hatred Act - makes it illegal to discriminate due to the religion of a person.