Apartheid in the Orthodox Church
August 19, 2012
Apartheid is the term used to describe the policy of segregation of the non-white population of South Africa before 1994. It is also used to describe “any system or practice that separates people according to race or caste”. (dictionary.com) There can be no doubt that apartheid, as it was practiced in South Africa, was a violent and terribly inhumane treatment of a majority population by a minority government based solely on race. However, anytime one set of rules or rights or privileges are applied to one group of people and denied to another based on characteristics beyond their choice – such as the color of their skin, their gender, their age, their disabilities or their sexual orientation – the term apartheid can be used.