Multiculturalism?

Cultural relativism is the idea that no culture should be seen as superior to another. It is the inevitable concomitant of the postmodern mindset which denies the possibility of truth which is true for everybody.

The evidence of cultural relativism in social policy — multiculturalism we call it — is all around us in our land today. At one level it is a concept with which Christians should be very comfortable. We believe that all people of whatever race or culture are created equal in the image of God. We believe that God loves the whole world. A proper tolerance is, therefore, something for which we should work. The idea generally that minorities from different backgrounds should not face unfair discrimination and that all people should be treated with respect is something the Bible argues for very clearly, e.g. Exodus 22.21; Psalm 94.3,6,7. And, indeed, cross-cultural interchange can be a very healthy and rewarding enterprise. But at another level there is a different kind of multiculturalism. It is an ideology which looks not just to respect other cultures but insists they must be actively promoted. This kind of multiculturalism is beginning to cause big problems to surface.

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There is a difference between living peacefully alongside different people and the State positively sponsoring cultures from outside. The problem comes because of the secular / post-modern context of today’s Britain. Whereas the Bible looks for equal treatment for all under the law, we now live in a country which is not at all sure what the law should be. We have abandoned belief in God whose laws apply to all (Romans 2.12-15). It follows then that we must accept that our law is just the product of our culture. Because all cultures have different standards and no culture is superior or inferior to another, it is impossible to say what is truly right and what is wrong. With that kind of outlook who has the right to impose ‘our laws’ on other people? Shouldn’t we be equally in favour of all customs?