Background information:
Read the following
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So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
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The Weak and the Strong
Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One persons faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.
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Life by the Spirit
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[]; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
Footnotes
In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verses 16, 17, 19 and 24; and in 6:8.
In the first passage, we find that we were created differently. God created man and woman, calling them by name to be different, the word them being plural as in two separate and distinct creations. In the second passage, we find that we do not all prefer the same food nor are we all of the same strength of spirit. If we extend this thought, God seems to recognize that there is variation among peoplewe are not all the same.
Much is made today of all people sharing commonality and being one race and that traditional gender roles are not accurate and no longer desired, that perhaps there isnt even such a thing as gender. Marketing is being taken to task for showing men in traditional male roles and women in traditional female roles, to the point that there is even some question if we can or should advertise to men or women separately. However, that is not what the Bible tells us. The Bible tells us we are all created equal in the eyes of God () and that we are all sinners () so we share some commonality. Yet, we were created male and female and we have free will to make our own decisions from our own preferences. We are unique creations, imbued with individuality and not as clones of each other without distinction.
Instructions for the assignment:
As you think about these changing opinions and societal pressures, respond to the following questions on the topic: Biodegradable Plastic Bags
- How does that company or industry market differently to men vs women?
- Is personal preference becoming both more important with more choices in the market of that company or industry while at the same time being an anachronism under the pressure that we should all be the same without distinction? Why?
- How does marketing in that company or industry balance individuality with the range of ethical foundations in todays highly diverse but also interconnected world?
