Religion and Inequality

Where does inequality come from? We do not see it in early cave drawings. Did it fall like an apple from the tree of knowledge only to weave its way through the generations? We see inequality throughout the world; it knows no multi-cultural boundaries. Is the institution of religion the tool that spread inequality against women, people of color, and the GLBT community? In a society where the social stratification contains both race and gender it is essential to examine religion’s role in maintaining inequality. It is important to note: “As a process, gender creates the social differences that define women and men.” (The Social Construction of Gender. The Social Construction of Difference and Inequality. Ed. Tracy E. Ore. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2009. p114.)

Many consider the Bible the most important book ever written, Christians all over the world have tried to live by its teachings throughout the centuries. Using the Bible and its many laws, the religious-right has attempted to dictate morality to the rest of the populace in the courts, from the pulpit, in the schools, and in the Constitution. The Bible contains countless barbaric and tyrannical laws written by mortal man. The religious- right would have us believe that these laws were handed down by God, thus rendering them infallible; but truth be told, these laws were derived from the so-called word of God, interpreted and written by men, men who could be fallible. The conservative right fails to see the hypocrisy of this “picking and choosing” of God’s Laws to enforce. On one hand they condemn homosexuality and same-sex marriage while ignoring laws such as, “Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.”(Leviticus 20). The far-right never has a problem with quoting Leviticus when it comes to homosexuality why do they miss the others? Christianity also contains a social stratification, a stratification based on race and gender. "However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance." (Leviticus 25:44-46)

Is it possible that religion was the first institution to use a social stratification and introduce inequality? With teachings such as: "Women should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be submissive, as the law also says."(1 Corinthians 14:34), it is possible to see how throughout history women have been kept in subordinate positions. According to Judith Lorber, “gender is a process of creating distinguishable social statuses for the assignment of rights and responsibilities.” (The Social Construction of Gender. The Social Construction of Difference and Inequality. Ed. Tracy E. Ore. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2009. p113.) It is possible to see sex and gender and it’s placement in subordinate positions throughout the Bible, the role of the submissive wife was very likely defined by religious teachings.

Slavery is often seen as something in the past but the truth is there are some 12 million people in the world who are subject to slavery, which includes: forced labor, sex trade, and property. "Slaves, obey your human masters in everything; don't work only while being watched, in order to please men, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord."(Colassians 3:22) Slaveholders used this, and many other Biblical quotes to support slavery in America, one of the worst examples of social stratification.
“Slavery and ‘Jim Crow’ segregation institutionalized possessive identification with whiteness visibly and openly, but an elaborate interaction of largely covert public and private decisions during and after the days of slavery and segregation also produced a powerful legacy” (The Possessive Investment in Whiteness. The Social Construction of Difference and Inequality. Ed. Tracy E. Ore. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2009. p434.)

The same book used by the religious right can also be used to promote equality: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus"(Galatians 3:28), why is it conservatives never use this quote when discussing women, people of color, and the GLBT community? If religion chooses to use Leviticus 20:13 to condemn homosexuality, “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”, then what passage is used to condemn lesbianism? There isn’t one, picking and choosing passages continues intolerance and social stratification. The only real solution is education. It took generations to develop this level of inequality; hopefully it won’t take the same to cure it.

Michael Harris

has done more to level the playing field across humanity than any other book. Ever. Also the premise that religion was the first institution used to introduce inequality is absurd.

for instance, women, how had it levelled the playing field for women?

as well as the natives of all the americas, for starters, since it was used to justify the genocide then as well as today.

the bible is just one of the many thousands of religious mythologies Ive read..there are so many! why so many people glommed onto only THAT mishmash of pieced together older mythologies rewritten, i dont know, but there are many religions besides christianity and judaism and islam that still have unequal status for people.
I often bring up lesbianism to people who throw leviticus at me and they stutter and mumble. heh.

A few things to consider: There is ample evidence from the archaeological record, as interpreted by virtually every paleoanthropologist, that our ancestor's ancestors had "religion" from the time that their cultural adoptation to their environment was in the scavenger phase. This is equally true for the briefer but better known (to the general public) hunting & gathering phase. In both, the social unit was based upon the extended family. There was relatively little social stratification, and what there was would have been identified in two ways: based on ability, and temporary in nature. For example, the person who was most skilled in obtaining food (hunting being the obvious example) would be recognized for his/her ability. Also, those with the most knowledge and wisdom. Thus, a man might be the most capable hunter while at a certain age, but his leadership in that would be temporary, for we all age; likewise, the person who is less physically gifted could become the shaman. Religion was a personal relationship with the energies of their world.

It was the domestication of plants and animals that created "surplus wealth," which lead directly to larger groups, with more extended family units, and social stratification. With surplus wealth in food, for example, some of the population could invest their time in being involved in other than basic food-gathering duties. Trade with other groups/tribes, which always was a factor in human relations, became more competitive. Group leadership became institutionalized. Religion, too: rather than a personal relationship, the group's religious life involved distinct "priesthoods." Leadership in trade, politics, and religion became the territory of the group at the top of the stratified society.