Scriptures of All Faiths

The equality of all persons, male and female, rich and poor, of any race, class, or caste, is proclaimed in the scriptures of all faiths. This is true despite the conventions of many cultures that discriminate between people based on caste, or class, or race, or sex. Regrettably, such discrimination is also on occasion supported by certain conventional interpretations of passages from sacred texts. Yet with the development of a more refined religious consciousness, all forms of discrimination are being overcome, and interpretations of religious texts that have traditionally undergirded discriminatory attitudes and practices are being shown to be erroneous.

The essential equality of all people is supported by the doctrines of the monotheistic faiths, that God is the parent of all humanity and that all human beings are descended from one pair of original ancestors, Adam and Eve. In Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, and Confucianism, this equality is grounded in the fact that Enlightenment, unity with the Absolute, or the realization of Goodness is available to all universally. Distinctions among people, therefore, should be based only on their conduct, morality, and level of (spiritual) education, and attainment.

—World Scripture – a Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts. Paragon House, 1991, p. 191 [Qur’an 49.13].

Hadith of Ibn Majah

“For the white to lord it over the black, the Arab over the non-Arab, the rich over the poor, the strong over the weak or men over women is out of place and wrong.”

—Hadith of Ibn Majah.

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