The Inequality of Being Created Equal

In 1776 the Second Continental Congress asked five of its delegates to write the Declaration of Independence. John Adams was one of those delegates as was Benjamin Franklin. Adams convinced the group to have their fellow member, Thomas Jefferson, write the document. After Jefferson finished he gave the document to Franklin to proof read. Franklin suggested some minor changes, but one stands out.

Jefferson had written, “We hold these truths to be sacred and un-deniable, 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." Franklin changed the beginning of that statement to what was the final version, "We hold these truths to be self-evident."

Let’s take Jefferson’s original words and combine them with Franklin’s change. That would be: sacred, un-deniable, and self-evident. Something is sacred when it is Holy and set apart as Godly. Something is un-deniable when it is incontestable, plainly true.  Something is self-evident when it is evident without proof or reasoning.

Franklin’s change may seem to have watered down Jefferson’s original thought, but everything is tied together when we add Jefferson’s next phrase, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights….” Yes, our Founding Fathers recognized our Creator God and their dependence on Him, not upon man.

With these wonderful words, however, there was an underlying lie. Slavery was accepted in most of our new nation. Thomas Jefferson was a consistent opponent of slavery his whole life, yet he owned many slaves to help keep up his vast property in Virginia. He believed that slavery presented a threat to the survival of the new American nation. Not being able to change the view of slavery among his contemporaries, it’s possible that he kept his slaves (many whom he inherited) lest they fall into the hands of someone who would mistreat them. While Jefferson couldn’t single handedly stop slavery in his time, with his words, “all men are created equal,” he set a goal for our country that took roughly 180 years to begin implementation.

Jefferson knew that change was needed in our world view of God’s children and deserves credit for challenging those of his time and future generations. Martin Luther King was able to use these words as a springboard in his great Civil Rights efforts.  For more information on the Declaration of Independence go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence  and Jefferson’s owning of slaves go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson_and_slavery 

So where are we today? Even with the improvements the Civil Rights Movement brought to America, whether skin color, religion, economic status or national origin, prejudice is still with us.  Much of the rest of the world is way behind us in striving for the “all men are created equal” proposition.

Martin Luther King relied on his relationship with God and was able to achieve much through non-violence and openly accepting God’s leadership in his efforts.  While God created us equal, we know that everyone can’t have or do all the same things. As St. Paul reminds us in 1^st Corinthians 12:4-7, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

If we are not exactly alike, then how are we equal? The answer is in the words of Jesus when he said in John 13:34-35, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” His message of love and forgiveness should drive us in our Earthly journeys.

If we love one another no matter our differences, we have the beginning of community. In Christian Community we support one another and offer ourselves up as conduits for God’s Love and Grace. Loving those of different religions is a big challenge. Most all religions are seeking a Creator God. We have that in common and we must not be judgmental in interacting with those of other religions.

The Reverend John Woolfolk Cruse says this in his piece entitled God’s Design. “God does not care a bit whether you are rich or poor, clever or stupid, but He does care greatly whether you are holy or not--whether you are genuine or not. God’s design for you is that you should be just as authentic as you can be.

A sculptor may fashion one thing in clay, another in wood or gold or marble, but He would wish each of us to be as true as possible. We all have different capacities, and we each express something different, but each of us is meant to be beautiful. Though He may fashion us in a lesser metal than gold, yet He fashions each of us in the image of Himself.”