How similar would racism/sexism vs. religious discrimination be?

by kwintestal 12 Replies latest jw friends

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  kwintestal

  I've been reading up on recent rulings of human rights violations in Nova Scotia, and the awards that have been given to victims in the last few years. Something that I've noticed is that the two common violations are always matters of race, or sex. Nowhere did I see someone who was the victim of religious discrimination (except a minister who wasn't permitted to use a town facility for preaching, BTW he was awarded $6,000)

  Would you put religious discrimination in the same ballpark as sexual or racial discrimination?

  Kwin
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  kwintestal

  Anyone?

  Kwin
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  jgnat

  It's all bigotry, and they need to be called on it. We had a religious/sexual discrimination case here in Alberta. Our local King's College, which has a morality clause for all employees, fired a teacher for practicing homosexuality. The college argued they did not discriminate against his sexuality per se, but for the practice. The college lost.

  http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_0063.htm

  From the Nova Scotia Human Rights site:

  ...now provides protection against discrimination on the basis of the following grounds: race; colour; creed; religion; national, ethnic or Aboriginal origin; sex (includes pregnancy); age; marital or family status; physical or mental disability; sexual orientation; political activity, affiliation or association; source of income; fear of contracting an illness or disease; sexual harassment; and association with members of groups protected under the Act

  Some more Canadian links: http://www.cdp-hrc.uottawa.ca/hrlc/hrlc2002/#religious

  Ontario Human Rights Commission. Policy on creed and the accommodation of religious observances. [Toronto]: Ontario Human Rights Commission. 1996. 22 p. HRC (File) CAN VI/Ont ohrc/creed/1996 E. pp. 8-1 - 8-7

  Cases: Attis v. Board of School Trustees (No.2) (1996) (SCC), 133 D.L.R. (4 th ) 620,; C.H.R.R. 25 D/175 (See pp. 7-64) (anti-semitism)

  Bhinder v. Canadian National Railway Co., [1985] 2 S.C.R. 561 pp. 8-8 (hard hats vs turbans)

  Chambly, Commission scolaire régionale v. Bergevin (1994), 115 D.L.R. (4 th ) 620 pp. 8-9 - 8-12 (Failure to accommodate holy day)
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  jgnat

  There are some JW's who treat me as less than human, and talk about "worldly people" as less than human when amongst themselves, like referring to such people as "it" instead of "he" or "she". I hate all dehumanizing behavior, even apparently "harmless" name-calling.

  Conditioning people to consider Jews as something less than human was the first step in preparing them to burning millions of people as just a pile of useless clay bricks.
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  Big Dog

  I thought I recall that the consensus on this board was that religious discrimination did not rise to the level of racial or sexual discrimination as one chooses one's religion where race and sex are not chosen, but I could be wrong.
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  jgnat

  From the point of the law, there is no difference. I'd have trouble rating the relative discrimination, too, considering what was done to the Jews. Though it could be argued that they were discriminated as a race.
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  kwintestal

  I thought I recall that the consensus on this board was that religious discrimination did not rise to the level of racial or sexual discrimination as one chooses one's religion where race and sex are not chosen, but I could be wrong.

  Hmm, that is a very good point.

  Thanks for all those links jgnat. I'll look them up.

  Kwin
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  Big Dog

  Kwin,

  I remember now, it was the bashing thread, where people were saying that it was wrong to bash religion and likened it to bashing people on the basis of race, sexual orientation, etc. and people said no, its not the same as it is chosen rather than hereditary.

  It was Billygoat/Andi's thread.
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  jgnat

  I think there is a huge difference between bashing a doctrine or an organization and bashing the people within.

  It is wrong, IMO, to say, for instance, "Those dirty Jehovah's Witnesses". First of all, don't lump them all the same, and second, put a valuative label on the people. There are plenty of nice people who happen to be Jehovah's Witnesses. If one of them is a bigot, though, I will say so. Or, if the organization promotes hatred/bigotry against other religions, I will speak up.
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  Big Dog

  jgnat, I totally agree, I think people were being bashed simply for being christian, ie. they were being bashed for being stupid enough to believe in a god/God and/or a religion.