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Religion and Ethnic Diversity Paper

Religion and Ethnic Diversity Paper Judaism is A 4,000 year old tradition with ideas about what it means to be human and how to make the world a holy place (Rabbi Harold Kushner, To Life) Judaism does not have a dogma. It was founded upon the belief that there is only one God and the Torah is His word. Unlike other religions, Judaism is a relationship between God and His chosen people. The Jewish people have been mistreated for years because of their religious beliefs and mostly by other religious groups. The particular relationship between Jews and Christians has been habitually strained. Although both religions believe that there is only one God, Christianity is based on the fact that the nature of God is the Trinity. He is one substance yet three persons the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Whereas Judaism is the reverse, God is one person and one substance. That is just one of the many differences between the two religions that have cause major controversy throughout the years. The Jewish community has contributed to the American culture in a number of different ways. They have been a part of art, music, drama, science, and many more. To me personally I have seen the most influence in music and drama. The Marx Brothers were a famous sibling comedy act that was very successful. Another example more recently is Joan Rivers. She has been a part of the drama world since the 1960s. Judaism has been the target of discrimination a lot over the years. One of the biggest examples of the discrimination done against them is the Holocaust. Hitler was determined to abuse and kill the Jews because he blamed them for Germanys loss in World War One. They were taken from their homes and forced to work in concentration camps and then killed when the Nazis were finished with them. Everything that I have come to learn about Judaism has opened my eyes to the differences between it and my own religion. I had some questions of my own that confused

me about the two and their subtle relations but now they are all clear. I think I have definitely been enlightened by the research done on this subject. African Americans have never really had an easy time fitting in due to a couple of different reasons. The biggest reason being the color of their skin. Most people who are prejudice see only outward appearances and make their judgment on the fact that they look different and that is wrong. The majority of the relationship between African Americans and other ethnic groups a long time ago was extremely tense. They were considered poor, uneducated cheap labor and were brought over here to work as slaves. They were forced to learn a new language and for the most part segregated from other ethnic groups. African Americans have contributed to the American culture in many different ways. To name a few, Thomas L. Jennings was the first African American to be awarded a patent on March 3, 1821. (U.S. patent3306x) Jennings was a tailor in New York City and his patent was for a certain dry-cleaning process. He used the proceeds from his patent to pay to free his family from slavery. Another African American that made huge contributions to the American culture, and perhaps my favorite is Garrett Augustus Morgan. His invention of the first traffic signal has saved many lives from collisions. African Americans have been discriminated against for many, many years. One of the biggest acts of discrimination in history is the acts of slavery. For many years African Americans were segregated from other ethnic groups, especially whites. They were born in different hospitals, attended different schools, werent allowed to use the same public places, and when in court they also had to swear on different bibles. The reason for most of the segregation and discrimination against African Americans at that time was because The slaves had recently been freed and able to go and get jobs. White people I believe felt threatened and that all their jobs were being taken and they tried to put a stop to it. I understand more now than ever the particular hardships that

this ethnic group faced throughout history. Although I would like to say it is not like that today, some prejudice still remains in our lives but slowly we have taken steps to ensure equal rights. I would have to say in comparison that discrimination experienced by people of Jewish religion and the African Americans are alike in the fact that they have both gone through difficulty and suffering due to something thats out of their control. They are also different because I believe that African Americans are being discriminated against to this day more than for the Jewish religion. Although all ethnic and religious groups experience prejudice and discrimination at some point in their lives, these groups in particular I believe have encountered more throughout history.

Reference Page

Pelaia, A. (2013). What Do Jews Believe?. Judaism Basics, (), . Retrieved from http://judaism.about.com/od/judaismbasics/a/whatdojewsbelieve.htm

Religion Facts. (2004-2013). Retrieved from

http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/beliefs.htm

(2010, February). Celebrating Black History Month. Inventors' Digest, 26(2), 1137, 7p

Williams, J. K. (2012, November 29). A History of Invention: Garrett Augustus Morgan. New York Amsterdam News, p. .

Separate is not Equal. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://americanhistory.si.edu/brown/history/1-segregated/segregated-america.html