All Men Are Created Equal Essay

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Liberty University *

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JURI 600

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Philosophy

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Dec 6, 2023

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docx

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4

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Army Regulation (AR) 600-13 states, “The Army’s assignment policy for female soldiers allows women to serve in any officer or enlisted specialty or position except in those specialties, positions, or units which are assigned a routine mission to engage in direct combat.” 1 This essay will discuss whether AR 600-13 violates the Biblical Equality Principle. In order to make an argument for or against it, it is necessary to define and establish parameters with respect to the Biblical Equality Principle. First, let’s look at the following five bible passages. 1. “For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty and a terrible, which regardeth not persons , nor taketh reward.” 2 2. “Male and female created He them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam in the day when they were created.” 3 3. “Then Peter opened his mouth and said, of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons .” 4 4. “Ye shall not respect persons in judgment , but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is hard for you, bring it to me, and I will hear it.” 5 1 D. Roach (Essay: All Men Are Created Equal Assignment Instructions, November 13, 2003). 2 Deuteronomy 10:17 (King James). 3 Genesis 5:2 (King James). 4 Acts 10:34 (King James). 5 Deuteronomy 1:17 (King James).
5. “Thou shall not wrest judgment ; thou shall not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.” 6 The theme that runs through these five biblical passages is that God is not a respecter of persons, which means that God directs us not to see male/female, rich/poor, black/white, etc., when it comes to rendering judgment. One must remain impartial when rendering judgment and treat all persons equally. So, according to the Biblical Equality Principle, what does equality mean? “It means equality of opportunity for God’s justice. It does not necessarily mean equality of participation in all of God’s creation.” 7 The founding fathers used this rule when plotting the course for the newly formed United States of America. “Both [James} Madison and [Alexander] Hamilton believed that one cannot have a government which grants “entitlements”, otherwise the government will be controlled by “special interests” and will cease to be a republican government.” 8 In addition, “not only did several state constitutions address the problem of special privileges, so did Article I, Section IX of the United States Constitution.” 9 With the above as background, let’s now delve into the validity of Ar 600-13 juxtaposed against the Biblical Equality Principle. AR 600-13 must pass the following rules to satisfy the Biblical Equality Principle. 1. Does AR 600-13 identify a specific group for favored treatment? 6 Deuteronomy 16:19 (King James). 7 Foundations of Law: Week 4 [PowerPoint Presentation], JURI 600: Foundations of Law, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA (2023), https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/531707/modules/items/59513743. 8 Herbert W. Titus, God, Man, and Law: The Biblical Principles 105 (1998). 9 Id. at 104.
2. Does AR 600-13 give special privileges to a favored class? 3. Is AR 600-13 recognizing the special abilities or skills of a group of persons? 4. Is AR 600-13 based on deterring/punishing choices? Does AR 600-13 identify a specific group for favored treatment? The answer to this question is yes. Only males are eligible to go into direct combat. God created males and females in his image and gave them dominion over the earth. We saw earlier in Acts 10:34 that we should not respect persons in judgment. We should not show partiality when it comes to male or female persons. Therefore, if both sexes are equal in this regard, then AR 600-13 violates the Biblical Equality Principle. Does AR 600-13 give special privileges to a favored class? Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” 10 AR 600-13 gives the special privilege of fighting for our country and giving the “last full measure” to men only. Males are a favored class based on anatomy only. Therefore, AR 600-13 violates the Biblical Equality Principle. Is AR 600-13 recognizing the special abilities or skills of a group of persons? The fact that there are physical differences between males and females cannot be disputed. Laws based on anatomical/biological differences are okay within the Biblical Equality Principle. This is not the case for AR 600-13. If both sexes pass the same field and endurance tests, and only males are allowed to go into direct combat, 10 John 15:13 (King James).
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the unique abilities of a female are being ignored. In addition, in 2008, a report published by the Strategic Studies Institute of the Army War College marked the stated intent of AR 600-13 to keep females from seeing combat as an impossible fallacy. This was because women had already served in supporting units that deployed with and often fought alongside their combat arms counterparts. 11 Once again, AR 600-13 violates the Biblical Equality Principle. I s AR 600-13 based on deterring/punishing choices? AR 600-13 is not based on determining/punishing choices like laws for speeding or capital crimes. So, AR 600-13 violates the Biblical Equality Principle. In conclusion, AR 600-13 does not pass the above rules or gateways for the Biblical Equality Principle. God's guidance is clear-cut: males and females are equal and were both given dominion over the earth. The founding fathers endeavored to create a republic where there was no place for special privileges, and the Army's academics agreed the regulation was not even practical. If we want to uphold the values of God, then we have a responsibility as Christians to treat everyone equally by ensuring equality of opportunity for God’s justice for all persons. 11 Impact Of Revising the Army's Female Assignment Policy Women In Combat Compendium , Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College, 40 (2008).