Ruby

Liberty Township is, on the surface, a God-fearing Christian town. Residents’ social lives are largely centered on In-His-Name Holiness Church, with community picnics and elections for the clergy. As a result, religious status is used as a moral barometer, with factors like baptism and regular church attendance influencing whether residents are seen as good or bad people. Holding an esteemed position in the church grants social influence and the assumption that the holder is an exceptionally moral person. As the narrative unfolds, Bond exposes the systemic abuse facilitated by powerful members of the church and explores how viewing religion as a precondition of morality can obscure the true nature of evil.

Ruby acknowledges the importance of the church in its characters’ lives. Black people in the South have long had to fear racist attacks and endure smaller, day-to-day assaults on their dignity. The church offers a sacred place where a Black community can safely convene and celebrate. Belief in a fair God who protects the faithful and punishes evil offers a sense of control and reason in a world that might otherwise feel senselessly cruel.

Yet the idea that God punishes sinners and rewards good believers is reductive and ignores people’s ability to be duplicitous. During his time as reverend, Omar Jennings is held up by his community as an example of a good, godly man. His devotion to God is all posturing, however, as outside the church he beats his wife, leads black-magic rituals handed down from the Ku Klux Klan, and facilitates the rape and murder of children. Outside of the people who directly witness his actions at the pit fire, nobody suspects him of being anything other than a squeaky-clean husband and father. He uses his reputation and influence to swiftly silence those who would have stood up to him, including his own wife.

While abusers remain protected, the vitriol of the community falls on people who don’t practice religion the “right” way or violate the norms of polite society. Often, these are women who have been wronged by men within the clergy. Honey Polk is impregnated by a traveling reverend in an implied act of rape. Rather than supporting her daughter’s decision to leave the church, her mother, Righteous, falls back on the church belief that rape is “the nature of man” (176) and that a woman’s role is to “find forgiveness, especially for a man of God” (176). When men in the clergy abuse women, the onus is put on those women to move past it because breaking away from the church is seen as the ultimate wrongdoing. If they can’t, then they become pariahs.

To the most devoted churchgoers, outward manifestations of mental illness are viewed as possessions by evil spirits. This casts a stigma on women like Ruby and Honey. Their legitimate reactions to abuse cause them to be branded as “crazy” and cast out from society. The marginalization of women who dare to stand up to their abusers creates an environment in which predators like Reverend Jennings can flourish unchallenged. This stifling environment has dire consequences for victims; Honey dies by suicide, and Ruby also makes an attempt on her life.

As Ruby’s life begins to improve and she falls for Ephram, Celia uses her power in the church to mobilize the town against her. She tells inflated tales about Ruby being possessed by the Devil, playing up her emotions to manipulate the congregation into doing her bidding. Her motivation is selfish—caring for Ephram is the only life she’s ever known, and she doesn’t want him to move on. Under the cloak of religion, her personal vendetta becomes a matter of good and evil. Celia empowers the townsfolk to feel righteous in persecuting a woman whom they have all failed to protect since she was a child.

All in all, Liberty’s unquestioning faith in its clergy upholds archaic power structures, excusing abusive men and disregarding the trauma of their victims. Yet Bond doesn’t outright criticize the existence of a faith-based community in Liberty. In fact, she explores how the church can be a powerful site of connection, hope, and renewal. As with any other social hierarchy, however, the wrong hands can shape it into a weapon against the most vulnerable. Bond encourages using empathy, humility, and critical thinking to forming opinions on morality outside of religious lines.