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Entry: Patriots, Not Haters Link: http://www.takimag.com/site/article/real_patriots_dont_hate#9736 Post contents: Sid, There is a Christian idea, which may be relevant to your argument, and which was immensely influential in (at least) the late medieval and early modern periods: every human is equal before God. This idea had powerful implications, because it meant that in the last judgment everybody would be evaluated by the same rules. The person's ethnicity made no difference, neither did wealth, social position or personal connections. The Pope and the poorest laborer would have to answer the same questions, and they would be judged by the same laws. The fact that God regarded all humans as equal implied that we humans have to do the same. I.e., we cannot treat anybody as a lesser breed. I'm currently trying to figure out whether this idea had something to do with the disappearance of slavery from western Europe between the 11th and 15th centuries. Sent at: 2008 10 12