
Most religious people often tend to display prejudice at extremely high levels. There is a significant relationship between religion and prejudice that must consider the multifaceted religion nature and the prejudice target. Religion encompasses a multifaceted moral, social, emotional, and cognitive construct (Rowatt & Al-Kire, 2021). However, cognitive and social aspects are significant dimensions that determine in-group members and the constituents of a threat in a global religious view hence the relationship between religion and prejudices. Catholicism and Islam are outlined to play a vital role in religious prejudices.
Catholicism
Discrimination and racism constitute the effective forms of prejudice that the Catholic Church opposes. However, research reports that other Catholics have worked tirelessly to promote racist practices in the recent past. Following this situation, the Catholic Church has taken the chance to acknowledge its complicity and moral shortcomings regarding such pressing issues. Since 1958, Rowatt & Al-Kire, (2021) the church has made enhanced and consistent efforts to resolve the unbecoming situation. Additionally, the church’s responses and the present mood regarding racism and discrimination, which comprise objectives of several catholic groups, were established to promote an inclusive culture and combat the ideology of racism. Pope John XXIII is renowned for affecting the Catholic Church’s changes since his induction.
Muslim
According to Rowatt & Al-Kire, (2021), there have been detectable higher levels of prejudice constantly accelerating among and within Muslims in the recent past. The Muslim community, particularly the Arabian and American Muslims, is often subjected to discrimination by their fellow Muslims, hence facing a lot of tension. These groups have constantly been facing rejection by their religious community. Even worse, their entry to other countries has caused them much trouble and difficulties. All this results from discrimination tied to people’s attitudes towards others in the Muslim community. Several attempts to stop or reduce prejudice have not brought significant changes in this situation. Therefore, the Muslims are to blame for the increasing discrimination rate among their groups.
Media’s Role in Prejudices
Media has the power and potential to alter individual attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and other social aspects. For some time, policy interventions have targeted and used media communications to influence and promote sexism, such as gender-based violence (Anwar et al., 2020). Media influences social norms through two effects, namely, social and individual effects. The information conveyed on media platforms creates a mutual knowledge of a norm regarding the social effect. Further, it augments social coordination as more individuals believe in the shared information, hoping that others have accepted similar information (Anwar et al., 2020). Consequently, media information concerning norms may tend to individuals to consent with them according to the individual effect. Therefore, the social and mechanisms of the media have on changing attitudes of violence against women, although the former mechanism holds more weight.
Social Identity Theory
A person’s sense of self-identification based on their membership in a group is referred to as social identity. By belonging to groups, people can develop a sense of pride and self-esteem (McLeod, 2019). Racism can stem from prejudiced perceptions amongst civilizations, and it can even lead to genocide in its most extreme forms. The group that we belong to is called the in-group, and that we do not belong to is called the out-group (McLeod, 2019). To better understand and recognize objects, we categorize them. To comprehend the social context, we similarly categorize people. We employ social categories like black, white, Australian, Christian, Muslim, student, and bus driver because they are helpful. We can learn a lot about people by classifying them into a category, as we saw with the bus driver.
In and out-groups
Appropriate behavior is defined in-group norms, but this is only achievable if you know who belongs to your group. A person can be a member of several separate groups. In the second step, social identification, we adopt the group’s identity to which we have assigned ourselves. As a result of your affiliation with a group, your self-esteem will become entwined with group membership (Scheepers & Ellemers, 2019). Once we have classified ourselves as members of a group and established a relationship with it, we prefer to compare it to other groups. This is critical to comprehend because once two groups identify as rivals, they are forced to compete for members to retain their self-esteem. Competitiveness and hostility between groups occur due to clashing identities and resource competition.
Effects of prejudice
When others underestimate people, their personality decreases, and they stop developing themselves; prejudice helps them feel less than entirely human. It frequently leads to bullying and other forms of prejudice because it fosters a dread of what could transpire at any time and of what the future may contain. This can lead to an individual taking their personal life in difficult situations, in worst scenarios, murder. Individuals and entire groups might feel very vulnerable, afraid, and unworthy due to racism and discrimination.
How Stereotype Threat is Critical
When people are aware of a negative stereotype about their group, they are often concerned that their performance on a task would confirm other people’s perceptions of their group. The phrase “stereotype danger” is used by psychologists to describe the state in which people are concerned about confirming a group stereotype (Meuleman et al., 2019). For those subjected to stereotype threat, it can be uncomfortable and distracting. This phenomenon is assumed to be situation-specific, with people only experiencing it when exposed to a negative stereotype about their group. Stereotype research supports research on microaggressions and bias in higher education, and it aids in better understanding underrepresented groups’ experiences (Liu et al., 2021). In other words, women may prefer to take classes in other fields to escape the stereotype threat they face in math classes.
Real-World Problem and the Impact It Has on Society
Climate change will get a significant impact on our student’s lives, and there will not be a single issue that has a more significant influence on them than this one. They understand that this is a serious issue that will affect nearly everything, including weather, rising seas, food and nutrition security, water quality, air quality, environmental sustainability, and much more (Gougis, 2020). Food insecurity is exacerbated by differences in socioeconomic factors, growth opportunities, housing, security, support services, and other variables. And, with 13 million young people living in food-insecure households, practically everyone knows someone hungry regularly (Gougis, 2020). Given the current events sweeping the country, violence is unavoidable; granted, they are politically motivated, but young people are disproportionately affected. People can learn how to promote, coordinate, advertise, and ask for help. They can also learn that this is a complicated problem with many possible causes and, perhaps most importantly, there is hope for progress (Meuleman et al., 2019). Sustainability is a global issue that encompasses it all from energy to nourishment to resources, commerce, health, and so well.
Strategies on How we can Decrease Prejudice Level in America
Learn about your neighborhood, including what groups live there, what their interactions are like, and what occurrences have occurred in the past due to racial prejudice or racism, among other techniques to reduce bias. Documenting acts in your community that reveal racial prejudice or racism will demonstrate that a problem exists, especially if the community denies racism exists (Wanner et al., 2018). Inviting a group of people to engage in the planning process, determining the scope of the problem, and identifying and understanding the kind of policies that may need to be challenged can help reduce prejudice (Wanner et al., 2018). Furthermore, if any, determining the plan’s short- and long-term goals can influence people’s views and help them contemplate how far the chosen approach will carry your community. Considering what resources are already present and what additional grants to help, they may need to review their goals. Examine your strategies to ensure that they address racial bias and racism at the individual, community, and institutional levels and link discourse to action.

It takes a lot of determination to alteration people’s boldness and formal performances, but it is essential. People, commerce, and organizations must obligate to value variety for societies to flourish. The variation will not happen overnight, but you may start by taking little effort, as indicated in this section, to make a difference. These small measures lay the groundwork for more extensive, organized, and comprehensive efforts to create inclusive communities.