Greetings Dear Reader,
I grew up in the South.
I was surrounded by racial and economic prejudice. My Grandfather taught me over and over that
both were wrong. We still live in a
world where people are judged by race and affluence.
I submit that the stone of prejudice is far too heavy for
anyone to carry. I recently spoke with
someone insisted that the lineage of Jesus possessed no one that was not of
Hebrew descent. She was twisting Scripture
and making illogical arguments for the “purity” of Jesus’ lineage. As we talked, I discovered that her agenda was
prejudice against other Middle-Eastern cultures.
The amount of effort required to justify an unjust position
is astounding to me. Through the
centuries we can see how people have been willing to go down paths of “reason”
to conclusions that are unreasonable.
The New Testament writers declared that grace and justice were to be equal
to all humans. Even the Law contained
rules for treating foreigners with hospitality, justice, and love.
Another stone that we cannot carry with integrity is the
idea that if I disagree with someone on a social issue held by a social group
that I am automatically prejudiced. The
difficulty with this is that it pre-judges my attitudes and beliefs based on my
position on a single issue. That is the
very definition of prejudice.
The third stone I would lay aside is the idea that just
because I am conservative or liberal in my politics that I should be identified
with the worst of that leaning. That too
is pre-judging someone based on making it common that all people are a certain
way because they are liberal or conservative.
Even though I was taught early on that I must not be prejudice
about anything or anyone, it tries to creep in through the common practices of
my community. At times I must remind
others that certain practices or points of view are prejudice. I must also tread a very thin line between
holding to my beliefs when they are unpopular and ensuring that I do not accept
rhetoric that is unloving and unjust.
Stones of prejudice are too heavy to hold and seem to grow subtly
in our hands if we are not vigilant.
Even carrying them in our pack is too much burden for those following a
God of love and justice. If we are
committed to grace and kindness, Dear Reader then there is no room for these
stones in our lives. We can drop them
without compromising our faith. In fact,
dropping them enhances our faith. How
about we put them in a circle and build a fire to warm our hearts as we rest in
the truth that everyone is worthy of our love and respect? The journey to justice and love can be easier
and is worth the trip.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every
writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a
homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Contacts for Aramis
Thorn:
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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