Myth:
In the West, Christianity first established the universality of human dignity. It was the radical Christian notion of equality — that there was neither “Jew nor Gentile,” and that even prostitutes could repent — that forms the basis of our democratic values.
Response:
Among the many things which some Christians try to take credit for is the ideal of human equality that lies behind modern democratic institutions. Democracy functions on the premise that all people are equal and should have an equal voice in how their community is governed. No accident of birth, race, religion, gender, or anything else should elevate anyone to a stronger, more powerful position in political contexts. This is an important principle, but it has nothing to do with Christianity.
First, here is the biblical passage in question:
But before faith came, we were kept in ward under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. So that the law is become our tutor [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now faith that is come, we are no longer under a tutor. For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ. There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female; for ye all are one [man] in Christ Jesus. And if ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3:24-29)
To be fair, it is true that this is one of the earliest Christian texts, and the principle it expresses is a "radical notion of equality," but Christians misread the passage in a fundamental way if they try to read it as a basis for political equality. The first and most obvious objection that can be raised against this myth is to ask: if this passage "establishes the universality of human dignity" and is the "basis of democratic values," then why didn't Christians notice this until relatively recently?
For most of Christian history, there was no "universality of human dignity" in political and social contexts. Some were serfs or slaves who had no power or dignity; others were aristocrats and nobles who wielded tremendous power and had much dignity. The passage in question comes from a section of Galatians written to explain the "purpose of the law" — not civil law, but Jewish religious law. There is neither "Jew nor Gentile" because all who accept Jesus are now equal before God and there is no single tribe constituting God's chosen people. There is neither "male nor female" because circumcision is no longer required. There is neither "slave nor freeman" because there are no slaves of God, just disciples.
The simple fact is, this "radical Christian notion of equality" has not traditionally been applied to legal or political matters; on the contrary, Christians have gone out of their way to insist that it only applies to spiritual matters — this "equality" is one the exists only before God and not necessarily before the state, the king, the judge, or the law. This interpretation is generally agreed upon by authoritative and standard commentaries.
Equal standing before God has no necessary implications for a person's political or legal status. The fact that there is neither slave nor freeman before God doesn't mean that there should be no slaves in a community — and for centuries, Christians defended slavery as biblically authorized. The fact that there is neither male nor female before God doesn't mean that men and women shouldn't be treated differently politically and socially — witness how hard Christians fought against even allowing women to vote.
Thus when we look more closely at the matter, we discover an important truth: that neither in theory nor in practice has this biblical passage supported universal human dignity, universal human equality, or democracy. Christians who already accept those principles in the context of a free, liberal, democratic society read those principles back into this passage, but that's one of many examples where Christians try to justify things they already believe through creative interpretation of their holy scriptures.
