I administer a small neighborhood page on Facebook and keep up with another neighborhood email list. I’ve found that in the pseudo-privacy of the internet, many people openly express their deep prejudices against others, especially against those who have few material possessions.

One discussion sprang up after someone posted a photo of a man and his dog. The man stood at the bottom of an exit ramp holding a will-work-for-food sign printed on a cardboard box top. His dog lay at his feet. People admired the dog, wondered if the man had stolen it, speculated about its health, and proposed to rescue it. Not one person suggested that they might help the man in his need.

In another discussion, people posted comments about a church parking lot that had become a gathering place for people experiencing homelessness. The talk was that the people were vagrants and drug users, and some called for the church to contact police. No one talked about going to the group, inquiring about their needs, and maybe even inviting them to church services.

On my Facebook page, a group began to fight the location of a dollar store on the edge of my neighborhood, where the store could serve a nearby community that lacked access to a food store. The arguments ranged from the quality of the groceries to the need for a quaint coffee shop. Finally, one commenter got to the real fear: A store for a poorer clientele would drive down property values.

The scriptures have a plain answer for this: “Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor. Do not rob the poor because they are poor, . . . for the LORD pleads their cause.”