The Star of David

Because of the spray-painting of the temple, a group of concerned people handed out Stars of David at a local supermaket in North Port this week. People were asked to hang them up as a symbol of protest towards hate crimes. The stars were made of popcycle sticks with a string attached. I agreed to take one and display it. As I hung it inside the window of my truck, I wondered if the display might cause someone to do violence to me or to my truck. I hung it up anyway, and kept it there until I returned to Lancaster several months later. I decided that I would not be intimidated by the purveyors of hate.

I don't usually display protest symbols. Most of them represent causes that I don't support. This one was different. My mind went back to a situation I was in as a boy. Some of you heard this story before. When I was a boy during WWII, I lived in Akron, PA . That is the home of the Mennonite Central Committee where many young men were processed who went into Civilian Public Service as conscientious objectors. Nonresistance is a basic tenet of the Mennonite Church. Historically, Mennonites have always refused to serve in the military. Many of the families in Akron had sons in harm's way in Europe and the Pacific. I can understand their hatred of those who chose a different path. They simply didn't understand those who could not, because of conscience, put on the uniform. Since I was a member of a Mennonite family, I was subjected to a great deal of teasing. I was often called a CO in a derisive sort of way. That's tough for a kid to take. I knew what it was like to be a member of a misunderstood minority.

When the war ended, my little problem ended. For many people, persecution is a lot more than teasing. Their lives are often threatened, and it never seems to end. It is important that we stand beside those who suffer violence and hatred from people who are intolerant of differences. We are not asked to violate our own religious beliefs. We are not asked to change our political views. We are not asked to change our color, or our sexual orientation, or our culture, or whatever makes others different from us. We are only asked to be tolerant of them. After all, don't we ask them to be tolerant of us?

It's high time in this land of supposed freedom and opportunity that we allow each person to be themselves. We ask only that they do not violate our freedom to be ourselves. We often call this the Golden Rule. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Now there is a principle we can live by. May love, rather than hate, reign in our collective and individual lives. Shalom!