University of Phoenix Material

Appendix D

Part I

Define the following terms:

|Term |Definition |
|Ethnic group |people of the same race or nationality who share a distinctive culture. |
| |wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn |
| | |
|Anti-Semitism |the intense dislike for and prejudice against Jewish people |
| |wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn |
|Islamophobia |Extreme or irrational fear of all Islamic persons |
| |wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn |
|Xenophobia |Intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries |
| |wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn |
|Persecution |the act of persecuting (especially on the basis of race or religion). |
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|Religious group |Individuals involved with or employed in religious denominations or organized religious groups such as |
| |churches |
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Part II

Select at least 1 religious and 1 ethnic/racial group not your own from the list below.

• Religious groups (based on http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/affiliations-all-traditions.pdf)

o Christianity

• Evangelical Protestant • Mainline Protestant • Historically Black Churches • Roman Catholic • Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) • Jehovah’s Witnesses • Orthodox (Greek, Eastern)

o Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform) o Buddhism (Theravada or Mahayana) o Islam (Sunni, Shia, Sufism) o Hinduism

• Racial/Ethnic groups (based on divisions in U.S. Census Bureau documents)

o Asian (Asian descent) o Black (African descent) o Hispanic and Latino (South or Central American descent) o Pacific Islander (Polynesian descent) o White (European descent)

Part III

Answer the following questions in 150 to 250 words each about the religious group you selected:

• How does your selected religious group differ from other religious groups (such as in their beliefs, worship practices, or values)? The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement or LDS restorationist movement) is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members. The vast majority of them are Mormons belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and their predominant theology is Mormonism. A minority of Latter Day Saint adherents, such as members of the Community of Christ, believes in traditional Protestant theology, and has distanced themselves from the distinctive doctrines of Mormonism. Other breakaway groups include the Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints which support lineal succession of leadership of Joseph Smith's descendants; and the more controversial Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who defend the practice of polygamy. The movement began in western New York during the Second Great Awakening when Smith said that he received visions revealing a new sacred text, the Book of Mormon, which he published in 1830 as a supplement to the Bible. Based on the teachings of this book and other revelations, Smith founded a Christian primitivist church, called the Church of Christ. The Book of Mormon brought hundreds of early followers, who later became known as "Mormons", "Latter Day Saints", or just "Saints." In 1831 Smith soon moved the church headquarters to Kirtland, Ohio, and in 1834 changed its name to the "Church of the Latter Day Saints." After the church in Ohio collapsed by dissensions in 1838, Smith and the body of the church moved to Missouri, and later to Illinois. After he was murdered in 1844, a succession crisis led to the organization splitting into several groups. The largest of these, the LDS Church, migrated under the leadership of Brigham Young to the Great Basin (now Utah) and became most prominently known for its 19th-century practice of polygamy. http://en.wikipedia.org

• What has been the experience of your selected religious group with others that do not share its beliefs or practices? The Latter Day Saint movement classifies itself within Christianity, but as a distinct restored dispensation. Latter Day Saints hold that a Great Apostasy began in Christianity not long after the ascension of Jesus Christ, marked with the corruption of Christian doctrine by Greek and other philosophies, and followers dividing into different ideological groups. Additionally, Latter Day Saints claim the martyrdom of the Apostles lead to a loss of Priesthood authority to administer the church and its ordinances. According to Latter Day Saint churches, the Lord re-established the early Christian church as found in the New Testament through Joseph Smith. In particular, Latter Day Saints believe that angels such as Peter, James, John, and John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith and others and bestowed various Priesthood authorities on them. Thus, Smith and his successors are considered modern prophets who receive revelation from God to guide the church.

• In what ways has the religious group you selected contributed to American culture? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS Church or, colloquially, the Mormon Church) is the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement, a Christian primitivist movement that was started by Joseph Smith during the Second Great Awakening. The church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has established congregations (called wards or branches) and built temples worldwide. With over 55,000 missionaries serving worldwide at any given time, the church currently claims a growing membership of over 14.4 million and is ranked by the National Council of Churches as the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States. The church's predominant theology is Mormonism. The LDS Church considers itself to be a restoration of the church founded by Jesus Christ, which was later, lost in the centuries after Christ in a Great Apostasy. Adherents, referred to as Latter-day Saints or, more informally, Mormons, view faith in Jesus Christ and the atonement as the central tenet of their religion. LDS theology includes the Christian doctrine of salvation only through Jesus Christ, though LDS doctrines regarding the nature of God and the potential of mankind differ significantly from mainstream Christianity. The church has an open canon which includes four scriptural texts: the Bible (both Old and New Testaments), the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Other than the Bible, the majority of the LDS canon constitutes revelation dictated by Joseph Smith and includes commentary and exegesis about the Bible, texts described as lost parts of the Bible, and other works believed to be written by ancient prophets. Under the doctrine of continuing revelation, Latter-day Saints believe that Jesus, under the direction of Heavenly Father, leads the church by revealing his will to its president, whom adherents regard as a modern-day "prophet, seer, and revelator". The current president is Thomas S. Monson.

• Provide specific examples of prejudice or discrimination your selected religious group has experienced. The Latter-Day Saints or Mormons get a lot of discrimination from children in school being bullied and the teachers letting it happen to maybe even the election this year because Romney is a Mormon. In June is Salt Lake City Mormons resigned from Mormonism so there families can lead a normal life without getting the finger pointed at them or have their children being made fun of in school. Among other reasons for resigning the biggest were activism against gay marriage, doctorial teachings that conflict with scientific findings or are perceived as racist or sexist, and inconsistencies in the churches explanations of its own history, including the practice of polygamy. The biggest discrimination against Mormons is there practice or polygamy so men were married more them 30 times. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/29/mormon-group-plans-mass-w_n_1637877.html

• What were the sources of this prejudice or discrimination? The source of discrimination came from everywhere not just with in cities and school. Being married to numerous women can cause problems and things such as family trees and children having friends. Some colleges even denied Mormons full memberships or to be able to live on campus. As well as sports and even when it came to getting gym memberships they were denied access to certain places in the building. Discrimination has surrounded Mormons basically as long as they have existed and it comes from everywhere.

• Does what you’ve learned about this religious group help you understand it? In what ways? What I have learned about the Latter-Day Saints has opened my mind a bit more in the way of their teaching and why they believe the things they do. But I still do not understand why they have the practice of polygamy and the fact that it can lead to incest has not really done anything about me thinking differently about them. I do not discriminate publically and I even have friends that come from Mormon backgrounds but I will never say anything to them about their beliefs because it is to each their own and I am not one to judge there up brining.

Answer the following questions in 150 to 250 words each about the racial/ethnic group you selected:

• How does your selected racial/ethnic group differ from other racial/ethnic groups (such as differences in ancestry, language, or culture)? Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the countries of Latin America and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino. While the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, “Hispanic" is a narrower term which only refers to persons of Spanish-speaking origin or ancestry, while "Latino" is more frequently used to refer more generally to anyone of Latin American origin or ancestry, including Brazilians. Reflecting especially the Latin American population, which has origins in all the continents and many ancestries, Hispanic/Latino Americans are very racially diverse, and as a result form an ethnic category, rather than a race. The choice of name is associated with location: Hispanic and Latino Americans who reside in the eastern United States tend to prefer the term Hispanic, whereas those in the west usually prefer Latino.

• What has been your selected group’s experience with other groups? I think it really all depend on where you live to be able to answer this question. Where I live the Hispanic and Latinos are not very welcome basically because of the language barrier and the fact that it is hard for them to find a job in American. Even if they do find jobs I and work hard they are still greatly discriminated against by wages and that is not fare. In some parts of the United Stated people might take more kindly to them like down south of they have to work with them every day and can speak or understand the language better.

• In what ways has the racial/ethnic group you selected contributed to American culture?

• Identify some specific examples of prejudice or discrimination that your selected group has experienced historically.

• What were the sources of this prejudice or discrimination?

• Does what you’ve learned about this racial/ethnic group help you understand it? How?

Part IV

Answer the following questions in 150 to 250 words each:

• How are the prejudice and discrimination experienced by your selected religious group and racial/ethnic group similar?

• How are they different?

• Can you draw any conclusions about discrimination from this comparison?