All Christians would try to follow the teaching "love thy neighbour as thyself". The statement in question can also be further supported by Christians who would say that all people are primarily morally - in the sense that all people have sinned and are equal before God - and spiritually equal. Christians would say that people should be treated as equals and a method to accomplish this is to have a basis of universal human rights which can form in a barrier to more prominent forms of discrimination or where people are not treated the same.
However many Christians would realise that practically, in the real world and in society, everyone is not exactly equal - though always spiritually equal because people are the creation of God - and people are not always treated the same, whether they should or not depends on the circumstances. Principally, it would be more conservative and liberal Christians who hold this view. People, as many Christians would say, should not be treated the same, but should have the same basic human rights. Those with disabilities, for example, need to be treated differently to make allowances for their situation. Christians believe the weak, sick and vulnerable are of special concern (seen by Jesus) and they deserve attention and should be treated differently to make allowances for their needs. Those in various jobs and with varied financial status have to be treated differently because they are not the same as others and the treatment needs to change relevantly for the situation. Criminals cannot be let free like others because they have sinned, as many Christians would say, and must bear the consequences of justice - though basic human rights should not be violated to ensure no discrimination. Because people are not all equal, treatment is also different and cannot be exactly the same for everybody.
So, Christians often do view that, practically, treatment of people is difficult to keep consistent and also it may also not need to be kept consistent. The treatment of people is very much dependant on the individual person and the circumstances. Though all people are spiritually equal, as expressed in the Bible, all people cannot be treated exactly the same and people are not all equal - physically we are not equal, politically we are not equal, financially we are not equal etc. To avoid discrimination and to have suitable treatment, many Christians would say that exceptions should be made, however, as explained above.
Some Christians find that there are internal conflicting views on ideas of equality. The Pope, as a Christian, believe's that everyone should be treated the same as everyone is equal, but he believe's that women priests should not be allowed. The Pope would say that Jesus' Apostles were all men and so this means women should not be a active part of the church. He would also use Paul's letter, Corinthians 1, as another evidence why women should not be a part of churches:
"As in all the churches...the women should keep quiet in the meetings...It is a disgraceful thing for a woman to speak in church."
Roman Catholics may say, in relation to this example, that the Pope is not being sexist but he is simply following the teachings in the Bible. Some Christians may also say that criminals should not be treated the same, as they have sinned, and so this is against the statement - exceptions in Christianity are made. But most Christians would say Jesus' teachings on forgiveness and teachings of non-prejudice combine to show that there is no reason to treat criminals majorly different from others.
So, conflict arises not only when it is practically difficult to treat people the same, but when views differ on teachings of Christianity. Some Christians often selectively use the teachings from the Bible to show the equality of people differently. Christians try to follow the teachings of Jesus and the Bible, however in certain situations the teachings cannot be followed, and are not followed, to the letter. However, all Christians would emphasise the spiritual equality between humans with less emphasis on the 'material' world that causes us to be literally 'unequal' (such as 'physical' differences).
Many people agree with the opinion of the statement. These people say discrimination is wrong and that we are all equals and should be treated identically. Criminal should not be treated differently, and should be given a chance and represented as equals. Those with different cultural traditions should be treated as equal as those around them and should not be negatively treated, or discriminated against, differently. These people would say that people should all have free rights in law to enforce identical treatment of all as much as possible.
Yet, many people find the ethics and principles of the statement favourable, but see that it is impractical and impossible to treat people exactly the same and that we are indeed not equals. Criminals and murders will always be socially unacceptable and therefore be treated differently, to whatever degree. The statement says that all people are equal. In the real world, practically, people are not always equal. In the eyes of others (prejudice) we are not totally equal, financially we are not equal, politically we are not all equal, physically we are not equal, in education we are not equal. In society (any society) for instance, cultural traditions often cause people to be treated differently. Muslim school girls in the U.K. were told to remove their head covering in school and Sikhs are allowed an exemption from wearing crash helmets as they wear turbans, which is mandatory for all others on motorcycles. Homosexuals are not allowed to marry and prisoners are unable to vote. Such examples show that people are not equal and as a result are treated differently, whether negatively, as discrimination, or positively. To avoid discrimination exceptions to the rule on equality and in law should be made, and are often made.
Atheists would have these views, in favour and against the statement, which are free of religious influence and argument. The views above are mainly based on social principles which atheists usually use.
I believe that all people should be treated the same only to a certain degree. We are spiritually equal and all have common humanity - as a Christian would also argue. All people should have consistent humanitarian rights by law to protect from discrimination and bad treatment. However, people should not be treated exactly the same. For instance, criminals and those who are socially unacceptable have sinned so should be treated differently than others to cater for the situation. Ill people who need special care should be treated accordingly. I agree with the statement saying we are all equal, because we are born equal in front of God (as a Christian would say), but practically we are not always equal and it is not practical to treat people exactly the same because sometimes one cannot be treated the same or sometimes people should be treated differently. People are not treated exactly the same, and often discrimination results. However often people should be and need to be treated differently, and discrimination is not an issue here.
