Honouring Difference

Lizzie Freear explains why we should

Photo: pro.corbis.com

Differences can be infuriating, and puzzling. They can make us feel insecure, and sometimes we struggle to understand or identify with the differences present in our society. Ultimately, though, diversity was created by God, and makes the world a much more interesting place.

I will begin by responding to some criticisms of an article of mine in the previous issue. The article, beyond political correctness, commented on how feminism and women’s rights have got a little out of hand, and it is easy to forget about men and their place in society. I was not arguing that women should return to childbearing, I was simply emphasising that women have a natural pre-defined role in society, that is, to have children. That is not to say that this is the cultural role that women should return to or necessarily the most appropriate role for every woman, though the fact that women can bear children has shaped their cultural identity. Men have traditionally had to rely on cultural constructs for their place in society, for example in public religious life as a leader in the church or synagogue, hunting and earning or more recently, with the advent of large-scale civilisation, business and politics. What are men now? Plenty of women claim that society could manage without men, and the cultural domains associated with men, for example, football, by no means appeal to all. To a large extent the distinction between the sexes has been blurred and caricatured.

My argument in my previous article was simply that a lot of feminists get very wrapped up in the issue of women’s rights, whilst forgetting that men also have rights. It is currently much more culturally acceptable to be derogatory towards the male sex than the female. It has taken along time for women to receive equal status, and I am sure that there are still instances of unfair treatment towards women, but I don’t think they’re any worse off than the men overall. As Christians we should be advocating the appreciation of both sexes for what they are, and the celebration of their differences, without stereotyping. I think we should be more worried about the people complaining that not enough women study computer science, than the fact itself. God created the sexes to be different. We should remember that.

The same goes for other cultural differences. Some people have a very negative attitude towards immigrants. If it wasn’t for immigrants, mostly illegal, the population of Britain would probably consist of less than a thousand very inbred individuals. The culture and language which belong to this country comes pretty much entirely from immigrants. As Christians we should be celebrating the wide diversity of cultures and people to be found in the country today. Imagine your diet without rice, chilli or lettuce. Last night I listened to a very moving talk on personal experiences of working with asylum seekers. I feel privileged to share my country with these people. People: who have nowhere else to go.

Another difference within our culture that all too many people are guilty of not respecting is age. Older people have been around longer. They have lived with things we may find it hard to imagine, and are so full of stories. They helped create the culture you now enjoy. Although they grew up with a very different culture, it is the culture that shaped what we have now. Differences between older people and younger people are well worth discovering and respecting. When was the last time you asked your grandparents or parents about their past, and actually listened? To learn about people from different generations is to learn about ourselves. It is doubtless that there are things that have improved, and things that have deteriorated.

God created the amazing diversity in the world today. Part of loving our neighbours surely consists in appreciating them, enjoying the way they are, even if we would not choose to be like them. You may not see eye to eye with your housemates, you may sometimes think that they are from another planet (though my current housemates of course are lovely!). However, to love them it is surely important to admire the beauty there, the spark of God within, as well as helping them with the washing up, to see the wonder of someone also created by God and loved by God, but who in some ways at least are so utterly different.

Our society has many problems. There is no simple cure for any of them, but enjoying our differences, and respecting God’s part in our world and our lives, will surely help. it’s nearly Christmasnow is the time to show a bit of love to those different from us, those we wouldn’t normally think of.

Lizzie Freear