I’m going to try to do something here without getting into a
political argument, which is difficult because the current political climate is
what has prompted me to write this missive.
I’m going to take a little different approach here because, for right or
wrong, religion has been injected into the argument. I see posts from well-intentioned Christians
and from angry atheists who all want to tell me how Jesus would view the
current political situation with immigrants.
I think they are all entitled to their opinions but it is offensive to
me to be told how I must view the word of God.
I am Episcopalian and as such, my faith stands upon 3
legs: Scripture, tradition and
reason. Some denominations rely more
heavily on scripture and others more on tradition but I am proud that reason
(or logic) plays a strong role in my faith.
It allows one to ask questions to make sure things make sense and are
taken in the context in which they were written or spoken.
So let’s start by talking about context. Did Jesus ever offer suggestions to
government and how to govern people? Did
he ever discuss public policy? He didn’t. His mission had nothing to do with how
government functions. His mission was to
teach the world how individuals related to other individuals and how to relate
to God. Taking anything in the Bible
outside that context gets dicey.
Dicey how? Well, we
get into the world of “unintended consequences” which is a place that is hard
to justify with Biblical quotes. For
instance, if we allowed all immigrants into this nation without any regard for
how they will contribute to the betterment of this country, how long would this
country be the bastion of liberty and justice that it is today? If the people coming here do not appreciate
the culture into which they are moving, will they uphold that culture? Our national culture is built upon individual
rights, responsibilities and freedoms but what if those coming here don’t like
that part of our culture? How many
generations will it take before this nation descends into poverty, injustice
and/or repression because too few people were willing to defend the God given (and Christian based) rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights?
Is that a Christian thing to allow?
How about another unintended consequence? How about respect for the communities from
which these immigrants are coming? Let’s
look specifically at the tide or immigrants coming in from Central
America. That part of the world is a
mess. Gang violence, corruption in the
government, repression of basic civil rights and very limited ability to better
oneself is the reality for many people.
But how are those people’s lives improved if more and more good people
move North? Who is left to build the
houses, tend the fields, run for office, vote, start a business or help their
neighbors in need? The more good people
who are lured to America, the fewer there are to effect change in a part of the
world that desperately needs it.
Being Episcopalian also means I participate in the baptismal
covenant from time to time. That
covenant requires a number of things, including a promise to “strive for
justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human
being.” There are a number of ways to honor that charge. In my opinion, it does not
require an open border immigration policy and in fact, I view that as anathema
to it. “All people” includes those still
residing in Honduras, Guatemala and others.
It includes people who would be adversely affected by mass emigration
from those areas.
To my mind, the more Christian approach is to encourage
policies that create incentives for people to stay in their own country and
focus on improving the culture there.
Every country in Central America has a rich cultural heritage that
deserves to flourish. Attempting to move
that culture to America would destroy that culture or turn it into something
different. Working with governments,
churches, NGOs and charitable organizations to improve things there, rather
than luring them away just makes more sense and to my way of thinking is more
in line with my Christian values.
I am human and I have human failings, but I do strive to
have God’s love for my fellow man. This
is true on both a micro and macro scale and it irritates me to no end when
either Christians or atheists try to tell me how my faith is defined. There is no cognitive dissonance between my
faith and my public policy views.
On a final note, there is obviously a LOT more to the
discussion and a lot more nuances and specific policy issues that could be
discussed. This is meant only as a way
to get people to understand that one’s faith and politics can’t be assumed. It may also serve as a way to illustrate that
the “hate” that some ascribe to opponents of open immigration policies is the
opposite of reality.
(edited to add on 7/3/2018)
In reading this again, I realize that I failed to make the distinction between private action and public policy. The Bible is very specific about how people should relate to other people. On an individual level, one should not display cruelty or prejudice to any human being. Showing God's love to everybody is part of the Great Commandment. Being kind to the immigrant and showing respect and compassion is not incompatible with laws that attempt to preserve our national heritage.
(edited to add on 7/3/2018)
In reading this again, I realize that I failed to make the distinction between private action and public policy. The Bible is very specific about how people should relate to other people. On an individual level, one should not display cruelty or prejudice to any human being. Showing God's love to everybody is part of the Great Commandment. Being kind to the immigrant and showing respect and compassion is not incompatible with laws that attempt to preserve our national heritage.
A look at immigration laws and their racist beginnings might enlighten your Christian ways. The laws of 1918 and 1924 were designed to stem the tide to unwanted people. The office of the historian of the US admits as much. The laws were meant to reduce drastically the immigrants because of the same fears we have today. These laws came about because of the large eastern European jewish immigrants, as well as Irish and Italians, who at the time were considered the worst of the worst. You can keep defending you opinion and your religious opinions as well. The bible does tell you to treat the immigrant as one of your own. That is, of course, unless you use a different bible
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