Curriculum Portal

neurologyYou need to know

• Human rights are basic freedoms and protections that belong to every person, and many people argue that these rights come with responsibilities to respect the rights of others.
• Freedom of religion and belief includes the right to follow a religion, change religion, or have no religion, and freedom of religious expression includes showing beliefs through worship, speech, dress and symbols.
• In Britain, freedom of religious expression is protected, but it may be limited when it causes harm or threatens the rights, safety or dignity of other people.
• Social justice is the principle that society should be organised fairly so that people have equal worth, legal protection and access to opportunities and support.
• Prejudice means holding unfair or negative attitudes about a group, whereas discrimination means acting unfairly towards that group.
• The Equality Act 2010 makes discrimination unlawful in many areas of British life on grounds including religion or belief, sex, race and sexual orientation.
• Many Christians teach that all humans have equal value because they are made in the image of God and because Jesus taught people to love their neighbour.
• Many Muslims teach that all people are equal before Allah and should be treated justly, regardless of race, sex or social status.
• Most Christian churches teach that women and men are equal in worth before God, but they disagree about roles, with many Protestant churches ordaining women while the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches do not.
• Within Christianity, some churches affirm same-sex relationships and marriage, while others teach that sexual relationships should only take place within marriage between one man and one woman.
• Many Christians and Muslims teach that racism is wrong because it denies the equal worth of human beings and conflicts with divine justice.
• Christian teaching often presents wealth as morally neutral but spiritually dangerous if it leads to greed, selfishness or neglect of the poor.
• Jesus taught that people should not serve money, so many Christians see wealth as something to be used for generosity, stewardship and justice.
• In Islam, wealth is a trust from Allah, zakah is an obligatory payment from qualifying wealth, and sadaqah is voluntary charity.
• Many religious believers argue that people with wealth have a duty not only to give charity but also to tackle the causes of poverty.
• Exploitation of people in poverty includes unfair pay, excessive interest on loans and people-trafficking, and these practices are widely condemned as unjust.
• In Islam, riba, commonly understood as usury or interest, is forbidden because it is seen as exploitative and harmful to justice.
• Many people argue that those living in poverty should try to improve their situation where possible through effort and wise choices, but this does not remove the responsibility of society to address unfair barriers.
• Charity can provide immediate relief and also support long-term development, but some critics argue that giving should avoid creating dependency and should address root causes.
• Positive discrimination is the practice of giving preferential treatment to disadvantaged groups to correct inequality, and ethical debate centres on whether this promotes justice or creates new unfairness.

• Define and distinguish terms such as prejudice, discrimination, equality, social justice, human rights and positive discrimination by using accurate examples.
• Explain contrasting Christian and Muslim teachings on women, same-sex relationships, wealth and human rights with reference to relevant sources of authority.
• Compare religious and non-religious arguments about freedom of religion and freedom of religious expression, identifying agreements and conflicts in contemporary British society.
• Apply Christian and Muslim teachings to case studies involving sexism, racism, religious discrimination or homophobia, and judge whether rights and responsibilities have been upheld.
• Analyse examples of wealth and poverty to identify responsible and irresponsible uses of money, including charity, lending, pay and consumer choices.
• Evaluate arguments about who is responsible for tackling poverty, including wealthy individuals, governments, charities and those living in poverty, and reach a justified conclusion.
• Assess whether positive discrimination is an ethical response to inequality by weighing arguments about justice, equal opportunity and fairness.
• Interpret religious teachings and scriptural passages to show how believers justify different views on equality, discrimination and the use of wealth.