Is Social Justice About Equality or Equity? - Part 1
The goal of some in the social justice discussion is for people to be equal. What does this mean and what does it entail?
The U.S. Declaration of Independence sets the high water mark for any civilization: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
First note that we are equal, not because we are the same, but because we are created by God. Young or old, male or female, black or white, rich or poor, healthy or infirmed, to be human is to be made in the image of God. This fact establishes that before God and our fellow man, each person has dignity and honor and is due respect from their neighbors and society. Being made in the image of God, each person has certain rights granted by God, unalienable rights – they cannot be conferred nor taken away by the state or any human being or institution. These rights include the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (and happiness is found when we live within the framework of the laws of liberty, established at the creation of the world).
But, aside from equality in dignity and worth, human beings are not born the same. The law of individuality makes it clear that every human is unique – one of a kind. In*billions of snowflakes,*no two are alike. So also, no two human beings are alike. Even identical twins are not truly identical.
Some people were made to play basketball. I can hardly dribble. Some have been born to sing opera; I only sing in the shower. We are tall and short, male and female, brown and black, gifted in languages, math, science, music and the arts, sports and oratory. From a myriad of possibilities, each person is made one of a kind. God loves diversity.
Human beings are equal and diverse at the same time. Human beings like the Godhead, have unity without uniformity and diversity without superiority.