Imago Dei is probably one of the most important teachings in the bible from God. It teaches us that we as humans are one race of humanity capable of love. Made in the image of God does not mean that we look like Him but instead that we have His qualities and attributes. We are to share God’s nature amongst others here on Earth and that is why we protest for Black Lives Matter. As human beings, we should not be looked differently, treated differently and most importantly killed for the colour of our skin. Having a darker pigment of melanin in our skin does not make us different from any white person out there. We may share the same interests and hobbies as a white person and that is perfectly normal and illustrates how we can be the same person. It does not matter how we look on the outside. It is what happens on the inside that matters, we are told to think good thoughts which would come as a reflection of how we act on the outside. Through Imago Dei we are taught to love one another despite the flaws a person must have. In addition, the phrase allows us to put aside all feelings of hatred and look after one another as we are stewards of the Earth and must love all creatures of God, which especially includes humans. No child is born discriminating against others due to the colour of their skin. It is the effect that their environment and society has on them. As stewards, our first action must be to try and debunk certain parts of society who feel as if they are better due to their white skin. The radical right-wing extremists may not be approachable, but your family and friends who may feel this way are. Educate the uneducated and let them know that BLACK LIVES MATTER!

If Jesus was to see the prejudice and discrimination against people he would be disgraced. He did not put himself on the cross so that his people could kill and hate one another. He gave us the new commandment to “Love Thy Neighbour” and I believe that is what the basis of the protests are. The protests seek change and justice which can only be done if you start to care and love everyone for who they are on the inside and not what they look like. God laid down his only son so we as humans, and His creation would learn to protect one another and care for in times of need. Jesus did not die for another man to commit a hate crime against God’s creation named George Floyd. There are many people like George Floyd who deserved much better and did not deserve to die. Jesus was a man of change, he would praise the revolution that’s currently happening and tell us to keep going and fight for what is right. 

If my house was on fire, and the firefighters came to put it out, would you stand there asking “What about my house?” when your house is not going up in flames. The answer is no you wouldn’t because you would put other peoples’ needs instead of yours as you don’t need the attention or the help. That is why Black Lives Matter is so much more important than “All Lives Matter” because at the moment not all white lives are getting killed for carrying a toy gun. Not all white lives are getting killed for a speeding ticket. Instead, they’re told to “drive carefully” with a laugh and a smile on their face or to “get out of this neighbourhood” which is predominantly black people. That is racism. Showing signs of hatred due to the colour of someone’s skin. As a woman of colour, raised in England for most of her life, I have endured racism on the streets, in school and even shops. Many non-people of colour think that racism is only bad if you hit someone who’s not white or yell derogatory terms at them, but what most of them are unaware of is that the worst part of racism is the unintentional actions. Clutching your bag closer to you when a person of colour walks into the room, not smiling at them down the street or even scrunching up your nose as you walk past someone who smells of “curry”. White people are unaware of the privilege they receive from birth. They will never know how it feels when someone doesn’t want to play with you on the playground because your skin colour isn’t the same or not being able to find the right foundation colour because companies refuse to make colours that dark. I cannot stress how important it is for black people to have allies in the white community. To have someone stick up for you against their own race and prove them wrong is one of the most empowering feelings alongside a sense of gratitude. 

St Paul’s teaching could not be any truer to what we need now. I believe that one of the most important things that can be done to improve equal treatment for all people here in the UK is to teach. Teaching children from a young age about racism will let them know that it is wrong to be discriminative. As well as that I believe everyone should get equal opportunities and access to higher posts and not be looked down upon. Those black people who worked hard to get a promotion but instead was demoted should be the next.

I believe that the Pope congratulated the Bishop for taking the chance to stand with his people as a man of God and to let them know that God is always with them. The Pope believes that as creations of God we are all one and should not be treated differently, therefore I believe that the Bishop felt the importance to kneel in solidarity with respect to those who lost their lives. He knew that it was the right thing to do, to enforce change in our society and to let other Catholics know that under God’s law we are united.

By Leah James, Year 12