Seeds of Equality
by Sara Forrest, Commission Member
I was contemplating life, the universe and everything while watching the river Thurne when I noticed hundreds of seeds, floating from left to right with the tide. The ducks were paddling against the tide and eating many of them. Some seeds blew across the river and landed on the river bank, some on the green grass close to the river’s edge and some a bit further away onto the very yellow parched grass. A while later the direction of the tide changed and they changed direction.
It brought to mind the fragility and randomness of life and the recent gospel about sowing seeds. I like to think I like to think that I heard the message Jesus intended for us, the seed in the soil. The Jesus I follow consistently reached out to the poor and marginalised people, he believed in equality of opportunity. He also tells us that we are each a unique individual in the image of God , and we are much loved by God. As a follower of Jesus that means I must respect the dignity and worth of every single person. I therefore struggle to understand how some fellow Christians seem to believe that it is OK to treat some people detrimentally just because they look different or act differently. Slavery is one example of this behaviour.
It is noticeable that over time the notion of equality of opportunity has become embedded in some societies. After all, both religions and political parties are groups of people with strongly held beliefs that they enact the rules under which their community lives. Those rules lead to accepted behaviours that are visible. The underlying beliefs are not as apparent.
I feel I have more in common with those believers of other faiths who also interpret their Holy texts as promoting the way of love and equality than I do with the fellow Christians who seem to interpret the Good News to allow them to exploit and discriminate against other groups of people. I feel it is dangerous when faith leaders openly support politicians who are promoting divisive policies that breed hatred and ignore injustice and intimidation within their community.
I then saw a photo of Benita Bowlding, a young black woman, in a newspaper. It was taken on Independence Day this year. She is sitting on a crowded metro train in Washington surrounded by members of the Patriot Front. They were white, wore baseball Patriot Front caps and masks so they could not be identified. They were travelling in connection with a march through the streets and had not sought permission from the authorities. The administration did not condemn the march or seek to interfere. Their silence can be seen as granting the Patriot Front permission to continue to act in such an intimidating way. The history of the rise of Nazism in Germany teaches us that over time a community that was settled and diverse can become divided and fearful because people are afraid to challenge.
I believe that in a just society Free Speech has to be limited to protect minorities from such intimidation. For me that is what Jesus tells us. In the UK we have limits on what is classed as acceptable free speech and our independent Courts make decisions where there is a dispute. I am thankful that we have such checks and balances. For me democracy relates to the structures of the way power is challenged within the administration, it is more than the one person/one vote system. I am so thankful that I live here in the UK.
Just as I feel closer to people of other faiths who think and act like me, I feel closer to countries who have control and command structures as well as independent structures of checks and balances. Without those a democracy can become more like a despotic regime. As a woman I experience vulnerability.
When I was a teenager, my parents warned me that I would be judged by the friends I spent time with. In Europe we have centuries of experience of Diplomacy and Foreign Policy, of gaining and losing Allies. I hope that our Government will continue to seek to influence those allies who overstep the boundaries of what we consider to be right and just and to step aside from action that we feel does not fit with our values of tolerance and equality.
I pray that our Pope and clergy will continue to speak out, promote and support a world that is more equal.
*****************************************