Individuality

One of the topics discussed in the Come to the Waters course was the idea of individuality.  The course material says:

We need to remember that in the culture of biblical times, people virtually never considered themselves as individuals, but as members of a tribe, family, or household. Individual identity was almost unheard of. If one member of the family was honored, the whole family rose in status; if one did something shameful, the whole family was shamed; if one killed someone, vendetta between the families was nearly inevitable.

We have a framed scripture hanging in our family room that was a gift from Steve’s (my husband’s) mother that quotes the second part of Joshua 24:15 – “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  While I like the declaration and commitment of it, I’ve always wondered how Joshua could make a statement of commitment for his entire household.  I was reminded of this when I read the portion of the assignment that discussed the culture of the time in which no one considered themselves as individuals, but as members of a group.  I was also interested in how this changed through history, so that the idea of individual baptism was born.

In our United States culture today, individuality is very important.  We value our ability to make decisions on our own, and we don't always consider the impact our decisions have on our family or our community.  We would rarely make a decision for another person if that person is capable of making a decision for him or herself.  In fact, when someone does substitute their choices for someone else's choice, we declare it to be a wrong thing to do. It is interesting to me to see this different way of living in the ancient world and the early church.