Equality And Christianity

 As Christians, we are taught by Jesus Christ to treat everyone equally, but as humans, there are times that we find ourselves treating certain people a certain way. We do this because we believe that they are not equal to us. Throughout history, the United States of America has been known as the slowest country to accept differences as equal to their own. Even those who claimed to be Christians were the fiercest fighter against treating certain groups of people as if they were equal to us. Although our country was built on the principles of equality and freedom, no one was truly equal and free. We may have corrected some of our past mistakes regarding this subject, but there is still that meter of inequality in this world today. Whether we believe it or not, we Christians still have problems accepting everyone as equals. 

Have you ever realized that you are more cautious around someone of color than someone who is white? There is still that distinction between people of color and people of white that no one wants to admit. I know that for me, I grew up watching people react funny to seeing my siblings of color and believing they are, in fact, my siblings. I hated it, but at the same time, I knew I was guilty of doing the same thing when I saw someone of color. Sometimes looking past the color of the skin is harder than it looks. Although I never treated anyone of color any different than me, I saw many people who did and it made me sad. I thought of my own siblings and how they would react to being treated this way, and trust me I never allowed that to happen. Why does the color of skin bother us so much? I mean when are white we long to be tan, but at the same time, we treat those who have tanned color skin as if they were not equal to us? I don't understand you America. 

Then there is the difference in which we treat the poor and the wealthy. I am as guilty of it as anyone else.  When I see the poor, I either try to avoid them because I am afraid, or I help them because I feel pity. Although it is always necessary to be safe, sometimes I catch myself judging whether a poor person is truly dangerous just based on their looks. I forget that just because someone looks a certain way doesn't always make them so. Not only do most people do this to the poor, but then we do the complete opposite when it comes to the rich. I noticed that when we see someone of wealth, they receive special treatment. When we hear of a wealthy person suffering from depression or suicidal thoughts, we don't take pity but rather we become angry. How can one who has everything they ever wanted really be depressed? It is like we forget that money is the world's greatest depression tool, the more money you have, the more unhappy you are.  Without Christ in your life, money takes over and becomes the god you worship and you are left feeling empty and alone. 

Equality is about putting on the glasses of God, He created everyone equally, He made each and every one of them in His image, so in His mind, we are all equal. If we are able to look at the world through the eyes of its creator, we would see it too.