Caste today, yesterday...

Well, I guess it's official. I'm leaving for India on July 8! Bought my tickets, bought my insurance... It's just a matter of waiting now.

I've been doing tons of reading about everything from ancient Indian history to Brahmanism to 15th century Indian poetry. Seriously, there is a pile of books on my coffee table.

As I've been reading about the Caste system and "untouchability," as it's called, I've been struck with the similarities between modern Indian society and the world of the New Testament writers. It's fascinating. There is a class of people that is not physically touched at all (Dalits/Lepers), there are deeply rooted stereotypes about entire sections of society (Shudras/Samaritans), and there is an educated elite that believes holy scripture gives them privilege (Brahmans/Pharisees).

Add that to the fact that many people where I'll be going have never even heard of Jesus and his teachings, and you can see why I'm so very curious. Imagine how the Sermon on the Mount would be received by the lower castes... "Blessed are the poor in spirit," "Blessed are the hungry," "Blessed are the meek..."

That was pretty revolutionary stuff back in its day. Maybe it should be still.

If you are interested in seeing a little bit of what I'm talking about, check out this short video. It's a segment from a longer documentary called "India: Untouched."