The Second ‘Golden Rule’: Caring for Society's Disadvantaged

Abstract

The Bible is concerned with the plight of disadvantaged members of society. Many of its precepts deal with various categories of downtrodden individuals: the impoverished, the widow, the orphan, and the stranger. This paper examines the meaning and implications of these precepts and pays particular attention to the stranger. This paper posits that the stranger includes all kinds of oppressed and exploited individuals such as: the foreigner, members of other races, unattractive and/or overweight people, the handicapped, those wearing strange clothing such as a hijab or turban, and those of different sects or religions. Furthermore, the prosperity of a nation is contingent on embracing of all kinds of strangers in its midst. A society built on selfishness, intolerance, and greed cannot sustain itself.

Keywords: Bible, bigotry, the stranger, undocumented immigrants, black names, handicapped, strange garb, dignity of difference, and religious wars

JEL Classification: A13, B11, D63, J7, J78, K00, K40, M5, M14, N00, N01