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Dr. Clinchy gives, as an introduction to the series, a brief history of religious tolerance, and an analysis of the high cost of prejudice; particularly as it may lead to crime, psychic stress, and most important, infractions of the moral law. Citing as an example the American Constitution’s Bill of Rights, the first national statement of opposition to discrimination, he explains that it is possible to emancipate oneself from a history of intolerance. Americans, like other people, often indulge in prejudice because it is fashionable, or because it distinguishes them from other people of different economic or social backgrounds. Nonetheless, since prejudice must be taught, toleration can also be taught, and believed. Whether it is for theological reasons, or for reasons of foreign policy, we must not permit ourselves to alienate our neighbors or our allies by false and destructive prejudice, concludes Dr. Clinchy.
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