Minorities

THURS., APR. 1, 1993, 6:53 AM
FARM, STUDY

I, the Creator God, love diversity, and so this earth does show forth quite a variety of life forms. Yet these, by design and choice are not evenly distributed. Thus, one of the interesting, bothersome, and sometimes dangerous conditions of earth life is the presence of a majority and one or more minorities. This can be interesting, because minorities often provide a “spice” to an otherwise very set and predictable ways of thinking and actions. Minorities also can be perceived as unnecessary, dangerous, sinful, and threatening.

Your cultures is one with many different minorities. This makes the culture interesting, but also potentially unstable much of the time. Gay men and women are a minority, in any culture, and in yours most of them have remained hidden, as much as possible, from the dominant majority of heterosexual people. Now one of the many political struggles going on is whether those of this minority group can serve in the military, self identified as gay. One issue is whether they should be rejected just for their “undesirable” minority status or because of undesirable minority behavior. And, as always in situations such as this, the majority of the minority have their status threatened by the overt behavior of a few. There are homosexual sex acts committed in the military. Should responsible gays who do not proselytize and do not act sexually in military situations be tarred with the brush of their minority’s minority? This is a human, cultural problem, but not one I’m much concerned with.

Let’s consider one with which I do have more interest. My favorite spiritual path began as a small minority in the culture of the Middle East many years ago. In that region it still is a minority, though it has become a majority in some other parts of the earth. As Jesus I came into this earth as a Jew, the majority of My region. Yet this Christianity, the spiritual path that developed from My life, the Scriptures called the New Testament, and, particularly, My death on the cross and My resurrection, became a majority among gentiles, people somewhat like yourself. Still, you as a Presbyterian are in a minority among Christians, who are a majority in your culture.

You could describe the perspective on death that is identified with Christian beliefs, and probably most of your students identified with this even as some are Catholics, some Lutherans, some Baptists. Thus, there are minorities within majorities. You are white Caucasian and Christian, which make you part of the majority. You are Presbyterian and, as I call you, a minor mystic (because you hear me, and are faithful to this gift), so you are then a minority. You have a high school education, so you are part of a majority. You have a doctorate (even as the Ed.D is a minority degree among doctorates) and are a tenured full professor, which makes you part of a small minority. You are a health educator, which puts you in even a smaller minority among university professors. Your age qualifies you for minority status in your culture, and certainly among university professors still teaching.