The Demons of Prejudice

I am old enough to have memories of a day when prejudice was an accepted part of the fabric of the culture in which I lived.  It was a day when the signs of segregation were painted in bold letters that separated "whites and coloreds" at water fountains, a day when the illusion of separate but equal was accepted, and a day when white supremacy was the new master.  While some declare "not enough," we have come to a place where blacks and whites live more as one community rather than two.  

This is not to say that prejudice has disappeared.  It still raises its head to sow division, discord, and even hatred among people who choose to focus on differences instead of commonality. If given a free rein it can send people onto battlefields to kill one another.  The history recorded in books and the history being written reveals this awful reality.  Recently, while reading the Old Testament book of Ruth, I saw it as a story which was something more than a love story, or a narrative that recorded an important lineage thread.  Perhaps, it was because I had just finished reading the book of Judges where prejudice led to horrific battles where thousands were killed that I saw that the tiny book of Ruth pointed out how people who are different can choose to live together.  

It is a book from the Old Testament which points out that people can live honoring each other's traditions, respecting one another and their values, and creating communities of mutual care. In some ways it is a precursor of the not yet seen world of Jesus where neighbor was re-defined and prejudice was overcome by the heart transforming love of the Christ.  The world of the Incarnate Christ was certainly not a world empty of prejudice and the demons it gave birth.  In a world not so different than our own, Jesus showed us to the way to live in peace with one another.