Discrimination as an Obstacle to

Create Gods Kingdom

The Kingdom of God is not a mere place that exists tangibly. It is a reality,
a realization of the very core values that the King gives importance to. It
has been referred to by various words and phrases at various places even
in the Scriptures. It is also known as the Kingdom of Heaven, Paradise, and
Heaven etc. To give importance to the values of the Kingdom, it is
necessary to love the one who put those values in place that is God. But,
to love God also means to love all that he created. As it is written in the
first letter of St. John chapter 4 verse 20, Those who say, I love God, and
hate their brothers or sisters are liars; for those who do not love a brother
or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not
seen. From this we can decipher that one of the characteristics of the
Kingdom is that in it all men and women are equal, no one is superior or
inferior to the other.
Discrimination means to segregate people on the basis of certain
characteristics that are humanly ranked to be better than others. The
Church, even though a strong proponent of equality does suffer vastly due
to the malady called discrimination. It manifests in various individual
forms in the Church discrimination based on race, caste, gender,
language, region, color, economic and physical status, denomination etc.
The Holy Scripture states that God created all men and women in His own
image. By this very fact all are equal to each other. Pope John XXIII in
Pacem in Terris, 89, notes that It is not true that some human beings are
by nature superior and others inferior. All men are equal in their natural
dignity. A person can never be discriminated on the basis of natural
characteristics such as their gender, color, race etc. Although, there may
be actions by a person which renders them liable to discrimination.
Inappropriate and condemnable actions and behavior lower the dignity of
the person that has been naturally bestowed on them by God, by making
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them in His own image and likeness. Even in the life of Jesus it can be
seen that God makes no discrimination. Jesus lived and interacted with all
kind of people the poor, the disabled, women, the outcasts and sinners.
Jesus lived for them and died in order that all may be reconciled to God.
Having been redeemed by Christ all share in His nature, calling and
destiny, making all people the same. Every person as a child of God has
the equal right to opportunities and the goods that God has provided.
The Church is today sinking slowly and steadily into the mire of various
kinds of discrimination. The Church today faces discrimination based on
gender women religious and laity being exploited by the hierarchy,
refusing autonomy to women, refusal of women in ordained ministries and
the hierarchy being exclusively male domain. The Church split on the
basis of caste which has remained as vestiges from the Hindu religion
when people converted especially in the context of India. In Americas and
Europe the existence of churches catering to various colored groups. In
places with people of various origins and/or places being outcasts in the
Church or attempting to gain control in the administration. In the light of
the current understanding of the Catholic Church, even the exclusion of
people belonging to differing denominations and even other religions is
considered discrimination on the part of the faithful.
Today the need is felt for affirmative action by the Church to balance the
wrongs and injustice that has taken place in the past. Although what has
happened in the past cannot be rewritten, it does not mean that it cannot
be overturned. In the pursuit of affirmative action the signal is sent that
the past actions were wrong and should not be repeated and the mistake
is acknowledged and appropriate actions taken to balance it. Affirmative
action can be of varied kinds like educating about the evils of
discrimination, changing traditions and laws which promote discrimination
and providing what was denied in the course of time.

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