Understanding Religious Oppression in the U.S.

1. Religious Oppression • Angela Sterling • Sabrina Santos

2. Agenda • Reminder about R.E.S.P.E.C.T and community values • Define Key Terms • Learning Outcomes • Activity • Discussion • Q & A

3. Religious Oppression • Refers to the systematic subordination of minority religions by the dominant Christian majority. This subordination is a product of the historical tradition of Christian hegemony and the unequal power relationships of minority religious groups with the Christian majority.

4. Religious Oppression Cont. • In the United States, religious oppression is supported by the actions of individuals (religious prejudice), social institutions (religious discrimination), and cultural and societal norms and values associated with Christian hegemony.

5. Christian Hegemony • Through religious oppression, Christianity and its cultural manifestations function to marginalize, exclude, and deny the practices and institutions of religious minority groups the rights, privileges and access held out for all U.S. citizens.

6. Christian Hegemony • Normalizes Christian values as intrinsic to an American public and political way of life. Christian norms are termed hegemonic in that they depend only on “business as usual.” • Ex. Money has written “In God We Trust”

7. Microaggression • They are brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative slights and insults towards a certain group of people based on identity. • Ex. “God Bless You” Seeing someone wearing the star of David

8. Ally • Typically a member of advantaged social groups who use social power to take a stand against social injustice directed at targeted groups • Ex. Personal Experience

9. Learning Outcomes • Increase awareness of early personal influences that shape perceptions of religious hegemony • Raise awareness about institutionalized examples of religious oppression & hegemony • Understand microaggressionsin relation to religious oppression • Understanding Christian hegemony in the United States

10. Sentence Stem Activity • Begin activity by forming a circle. If the statement applies to you, move forward into the circle. Observe. Retreat to the outer circle. • We as facilitators will offer a few examples and we then we will challenge you as participants to offer examples of religious oppression in the United States

11. Activity

12. Discussion

13. Thank You!