Created equal

I am pleased that The Philadelphia Inquirer published the following letter today.

To the editor:

It is evident America is now desperately ill and in the throes of a second civil war. The nine-hour prayer fest the White House is planning will fan the flames of this illness in a country dedicated to religious freedom. In my quandary of how best to communicate amid the epidemic of prejudice and ideological entrenchment we face, I decided to turn to America’s roots, our Declaration of Independence, for guidance. In doing so, I found it interesting that Thomas Jefferson did not say all men are born equal. He used the word created, thinking, I believe, in theological terms — equality in relationship with their Creator, not in birth opportunities provided. Nothing in this brave declaration specified a god who favors one religion over another. Or, in fact, that one must adopt a faith.

In Matthew 22:21, when Jesus says, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” — to me, Jesus references the distinction between our relationship with God and the inequalities of birth, surroundings, and opportunities. This underscores that life is neither fair nor just — that some are born with far more opportunities for success and fulfillment than others. But God wants justice and opportunity for each of us.

It is up to the officials we elect to create these opportunities for safety and fulfillment. Doing so necessitates the election of those with the capacity to lead with courage, compassion, common sense, and awareness of the underpinnings of mature, honorable thinking. Not leaders who pit faiths against each other. Maturity is marked by the determination to make life as fair as it possibly can be — opening doors for better lives for all of our children. Prejudice and exclusion, in the same camp as irrationally expressed rage, whatever its form, take us in the terrifying opposite direction.

SaraKay Smullens
Philadelphia

Published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 15, 2026