Christians do not treat people equally

‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’ (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11) Bible verses like that are still moving and shaping the world after 2,000 years. It is not just that the Bible was 20 centuries ahead of its time, it was the Bible that at certain points in history pushed and dragged the western world to its present point of tolerance.

Like nothing else, Christianity puts everyone on the same level. In Jesus’ presence, everyone, regardless of muscle, skill, success, intelligence, education, money, job, family, color, sex, age, beauty, habits, health, sexual feelings, personality, and moral standing, is equally able to receive the purity and importance in God’s eyes that Jesus himself has. Real followers of Jesus have always stressed that unborn babies, people diseased in mind or body, old people, drunks, murderers, and saints are all equally precious to God.

Various revivals of biblical Christianity and the efforts of Christians like Wilberforce, the earl of Shaftesbury and William Booth (to give just some nineteenth century examples), have caused certain Christian beliefs, such as the equal value of all people, to gain such popularity in the western world that they have become accepted as normal. Except for history experts with a firm understanding of the events of 2,000 years, few of us realize that even anti-Christians such a Marxists and Bible-burning feminists have (often without being aware of it) included parts of Christianity in their beliefs. For example, the non-Christian Mahatma Gandhi, famous for his non-violence and opposition to the long-standing discrimination and prejudice of the Hindu caste system, knew he was influenced by the teaching of Jesus Christ. (See, for example, Gandhi’s book Non-Violence in Peace and War, 1949, vol. 2, ch. 166) Most of the people Gandhi inspired, however, would have been less aware that by following him they were accepting certain Christian beliefs.

A different view: Every day all over the world people use the word ‘love’ in cruel deception. For example, a man who cares little for a woman might say that he loves her just so that he can sleep with her and treat her badly. The result is hurt and distrust. Yet fakes never destroy the real thing. Just as liars and cheaters have discovered the power of the word ‘love,’ some have discovered the word ‘Jesus’. Remember, however, that people do not fake cheap things. (People might fake money, diamonds and costly works of art, pretending that their cheap copy is the real thing, but they would not fake plastic bags.) So if people fake Christianity, pretending to be followers of Christ when their actions prove otherwise, it is only because real Christianity is of great value.

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So has politics, but politics cannot be completely removed from society. We can only try to find the right type of politics. Neither can we remove our religious need. We can only find the right religion. A good start would be to find one committed to a leader who said, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers ... love your enemies ... bless those who curse you ... turn the other cheek . . .’

Actually, atheists easily hold the record for killing innocent people – Lenin, Stalin, Mao. War is very bad, and yet the killing of millions of people by these atheists is worse than anything done in religious wars. A History Teacher finds fault with my webpage

When looking for the cause of war, try greed, selfishness, pride, hate, unforgiveness – the very things that Jesus taught against.

A different view: If you assume that it is wrong to kill and abuse people’s rights, then, though you may be unaware of it, you have taken Christian beliefs into your life. If, as atheistic evolutionists teach, advance comes through the survival of the fittest, why not let war take its natural course? Dig into many non-Christian religions and you will discover the teaching that all things are one – including good and evil. Why work for justice if nothing – cruelty included – is bad? It is Christianity that provides the logical reasons for seeking justice and peace. It makes so much sense that non-Christians often end up avoiding the logical conclusions of their own beliefs. They stick Christian values on to their anti-Christian base, like trying to stick flowers on to plastic roots and expecting them to live.

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Christians regard human life as holy and precious. That is why, for example, they strongly disapprove of the killing of unborn babies or shortening the lives of seriously sick people. Unlike many people, they do not see humans as the result of an accident in a swamp millions of years ago, or the meaningless result of someone’s greed for sex. They see the lowest of us as bearing the image of God; made by him and the focus of his love. They believe God values us so highly that he wants to enjoy us for all eternity, and that he has spared nothing to make this possible.

Yet the Bible fits everyday reality. Christians are not surprised that tiny children, tenderly loved and looked after in the best homes, are naughty. They never imagined that stealing would be limited to the poor or the uneducated or those with inadequate diet. They do not fall for the trap of accusing others and overlooking their own mistakes. They believe we are all equally guilty and all equally able to attain moral perfection through Christ.

A different view: If we are as good as we like to think we are, we would flock to the best person there has ever been, Jesus Christ. Deep down, however, we suspect the worst about ourselves and run from it like people refusing cancer checks, even though early discovery of the problem brings life, not death. All who admit the need for it, can be instantly treated by God as if they had the innocence of Jesus. Everyone can give their life to Jesus, receive God’s moral power and, in the next life, will be made perfect.

What about all those who have never heard of Jesus?

A different view: Just like you, those who have not heard of Jesus have failed to perfectly keep their own rules for living a good life, much less God’s. How God deals with their moral failure is God’s concern, not yours. Your worry is that if God were to treat differently those who have never heard, it would not affect you because you have heard. You might convince yourself and out-argue every Christian, but in the end that means nothing. God sees right through us. Every excuse you hide behind will disappear when you stand before the almighty Judge.

For a deeper look at how God will treat those who have never heard of Jesus, see Perfect Justice

21. All religions are much the same

22. There are so many religions: how could anyone know which is right?

23. Even Hare Krishnas are more Christian than Christians!

24. The Bible contradicts itself

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