ABSTRACT
Religion is inextricably linked to culture. It relates to beliefs and practices about the Transcendent, about a realm beyond earthy realities. Many religions rely on a set of teachings derived from Sacred Texts. 3 However, how these teachings are interpreted and the ways in which they are practised are always time- and space- dependent, i.e. culturally embedded. In Christianity, for example, the Bible affirms the fundamental equality of all human beings before God. This teaching arguably gives rise to a so-called ‘Christian culture’ that fosters a sense of respect for all members of society. But how that equality is interpreted is in turn culturally dependent. Equality between men and women, between slaves and non-slaves, and between people of different religions is conceived differently by Christianity depending on the socio-historical and cultural context of each experience. Thus the interpretation of equality during the Inquisition was certainly different from the way it is interpreted today. Religion and culture, then, influence each other in ways that are both profound and subtle. Like cultures, religions are dynamic and ever-changing, responding to specific realities and the wider political economies and power relations that inform them. How equality is understood in Christianity has a lot to do with who has authority within the Church at any given time and the type of power they wield; in other words, like culture, religion cannot be separated from power and politics.
