​On Equality

Last week I claimed that, since all men are equal, it is not just to restrict others except by that to which we defer. That is a rather large mouthful to throw out casually; it deserves greater consideration. Clearly, our physical and mental attributes vary greatly. By what measure are we equal? What has it to do with justice?
Spontaneous mutation and survival of the fittest does not allow for equality. There is stronger and weaker. The fate of the weak is annihilation and the fate of the strong is to fight. There is no dignity in random generation. It is argued that cooperation within our species is primarily an evolutionary development that enables us to compete more effectively. Equality in this scenario runs counter to the professed nature of creation and can’t be more than an illusion which quickly dissolves in the face of threat.
    Our equality can only be understood in the context of intelligent creation. An all-powerful, all-knowing, benevolent creator can’t create anything other than what is best for His creation at the time of its creation. If He could have created a better me or a better you, He would have. We are all equal in dignity because our creator, in His infinite wisdom, decided that each of us, exactly as made, is better suited for their role in His entire creation than anything else he might have created.
    In the accompanying image, Lady Justice is blindfolded and holds a scale. She is blind to the individual’s attributes and circumstances. Size, colour, gender, affluence and other incidentals hold no weight in her decision. The rights of one are weighed against the rights of the other to find balance. This image only makes sense if one accepts that what is being weighed is outside the dominion of the individuals being tried.
    The atheist seeks justice in communal will. Precise boundaries of the community are difficult to establish and unequal distribution of means, particularly those of communication, confounds discernment of its will. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Consensus can never be more stable than the community; there is no guarantee of conformity or continuity. Truth varies by association. There is no ultimate authority. Lady Justice needs a separate set of scales for each community and she must ensure it's the latest model.
    The monotheist finds justice in the will of the Creator. Justice is discerned from the nature of the created. Because the Creator is all-knowing, all-powerful, and benevolent, it is right for things to be as they are created. Justice is found in balancing overlapping natures of things created. Truth resides in the one Creator; He is the ultimate authority. There is one set of scales for all.

---