How I prayed about hazing

How can we, judge how far to go with the "rite of passage" some organizations require?

By Grayce G. Young

At the beginning of the school year a while back, the news media in our area gave detailed reports of hazing that had taken place at one of the high schools. No one was injured, but sophomore boys had been subjected to degrading treatment by seniors. Sixteen upperclassmen were disciplined by the district. The attitude of the students plus the in-depth descriptions of what had taken place troubled me.

The week after this happened, I was reading in the Bible an account of another young man, Joseph, whose older brothers were impelled by jealousy and envy to cast him into an empty pit (see Gen. 37:3–36; 39:1—46:5). The Bible explains that Joseph was removed from the pit and sold into slavery. Then, his master's wife attempted to seduce him; when she failed, she pretended that he had attempted to assault her. Believing his wife, Joseph's owner sent him to prison unjustly.

Release from prison came when he was given the opportunity to explain the meaning of Pharaoh's dream. He turned to God to reveal the answer, and he was able to give Pharaoh an explanation when all the magicians and wise men of Egypt could not. Still a young adult, he was then elevated to governor over Egypt. In this position he saved the Egyptians and people in other countries from a seven-year famine. His own family in Canaan, including the brothers who had tried to injure him, was included in those he saved from deprivation.

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