Posted on 05/06/2008 9:09:10 AM PDT by raybbr
E-mail Father Jonathan
Yesterday, May Day, we witnessed some of the largest demonstrations of immigrants on American soil. The masses of mostly brown skinned activists and their followers were protesting what they consider unjust immigration policy and practice in the United States of America. Strewn conspicuously throughout the congregants, one couldn't help but notice church banners, crosses and other religious symbols. It would seem we are witnessing faith-based immigration reform activism. Does this mean God is on the side of the protesters?
Seeing these demonstrations on television, my thoughts darted back and forth between the immigration arguments of social conservatives, with their focus on the respect for law and national security (both of which are good objectives), and their liberal counterparts, with their focus on the protection of human rights (also a very good thing).
I believe the immigration reform logjam we now encounter is due in great part to the false premise that the good immigration objectives of the conservative movement are incompatible with the good objective, in this case, of liberal activists. When religious leaders or institutions give priority to the defense of human rights (as they should), this false premise becomes even more compelling. After all, have you ever seen a priest or a pastor protesting illegal border crossing? There is a reason for this, but it's not what most would think. Related
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
My favorite:
This moral voice, however, mustn't be one-sided. Just as every immigrant has a right to be treated with dignity, every government has the right and obligation to regulate immigration to sustainable levels, for the good of its own citizens and its immigrants. Religious leaders should be saying this too, don't you think? Why aren't they? Some are.
What a load? So God will not take a stand is what he's basically saying.
1 Peter 2:13 “Submit yourself to every ordinance of man . . . to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors.”
Matthew 22:21 “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's.”
I'm not even sure what he's saying here. Preventing people from entering illegally is not equivelant to abusing or enslaving another human.
If anything, its those encouraging illegal crossings - or at least those with no respect for the rule of law - that are allowing the squalid conditions, if such exists, for the illegal immigrant.
Absolutely.
One thing that is clear from God's Word is that HE hates covetousness and lying.
Although the temptation might exist to break and enter into an area (Country or home) to acquire some easy money - there is nothing right about doing this.
Not every church denomination and/or congregation with those denomination is fully supportive of unfettered immigration.
I will say that American RCC’s need to make a louder voice in opposition as most illegals are RCC and do most of the protesting and safe sanctuary stuff.
Those were the exact scriptures that I would cite as well.
In fact, the illegal aliens are those who God does not honor for breaking the laws of another country to come to a country to get things for which they have not earned by people who have no choice but to pay for their demands.
This is called covetousness! The Illegal Aliens are breaking the commandment not to covet what others have, as well as taking things that do not belong to them (jobs) and using stolen identities that belong to others, "Thou shalt NOT STEAL."
To have any "pastor" of any faith claim that illegal immigrants are those "travelers" among us is hogwash. These people are not traveling through our country to another place, they are "traveling" here to set up camp.
Sorry but such a person who uses "scripture" to berate me or anyone else to allow what is going on under the guise of "faith" or any such nonsense only tells me that that person does NOT know the Bible but rather takes words and phrases out of their context -- thus it is they who preach falsehoods. Shame on them
Yes. Scripture (and Jesus) absolutely taught separation of faith from government. He refused to get involved in the politics of the day, instead speaking to personal faith and responsibility.
There is so much misunderstanding today when people mistakenly try to apply Christ’s words to government, when they were directed at individuals.
I find this passage interesting, written by the final Old Testament prophet, Malachi, who referred to the coming of John the Baptist and the Messiah, which would happen about 400 years after Malachi wrote these words:
(note the final 3 lines)
“Behold, I send My messenger,
And he will prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, He is coming,”
Says the LORD of hosts.
“ But who can endure the day of His coming?
And who can stand when He appears?
For He is like a refiner’s fire
And like launderers’ soap.
“He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;
He will purify the sons of Levi,
And purge them as gold and silver,
That they may offer to the LORD
An offering in righteousness.
“ Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem
Will be pleasant to the LORD,
As in the days of old,
As in former years.
“And I will come near you for judgment;
I will be a swift witness
Against sorcerers,
Against adulterers,
Against perjurers,
Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans,
And against those who turn away an alien—
Because they do not fear Me,”
Says the LORD of hosts.
—Malachi 3:1-5
No use flaming me. I didn’t write it.
Absolutely. We are called on to obey the laws of the land so long as they do not contradict God’s laws.
However, we are also called on to deal with aliens with compassion. I take this to mean that INDIVIDUALLY I treat them with the respect any human deserves. As a church I am attempting to see if we can get a local mission to vaccinate the children of illegals and their parents if they need them. This provides two purposes, it makes our community safer from diseases eradicated decades ago in the US and gives us a chance to minister to them spiritually. Part of that ministering is to remind them that they are to obey the laws of the land.
If the Jews were in charge of the oil could you imagine how much more hatred of them there would be?
Of course! Just ask Mike “Open-Borders-for-Jesus” Huckabee.
But they could get it for us Wholesale.
Why would God take a stand? Didn’t He already know what was/is going to happen? Isn’t what happens, part of His plan?
Yes, if God were standing at the border incarnate today, he would be appalled if we turned away MS-13 members and criminals from Mexico and beyond. [/s]
Don’t misuse scripture like that.
You have a point, there. On the other hand, what do you imagine they would have done with all that oil revenue? Built zillion-dollar palaces to themselves in the desert? Of course not. They would have built schools, museums, libraries, and hospitals - and not just for themselves, either.
No.
God has bigger things to deal with. ;-)
The problem with nearly every “religious leader”—and this goes for lower echelon ministers and preists—is that they don’t seem to value law and order as secular folks do. To them, it seems, “human rights” trump Federal laws, a country’s laws. Plus, they don’t delineate (how convenient) between “legal” and “illegal”. Even the Christian conservative preachers seem to be on the side of illegals these days.
But given a church's spiritual and humanitarian role, it is right and understandable that it speaks out with special force against the miserable conditions of the immigrants whom companies and governments are utilizing for economic gain.In that case, the churches should all be squarely opposed to illegal immigration which, in and of itself, fosters and enables those miserable conditions to exist.
I really don't think Malachi was implying that the Lord will witness against those who believe in border enforcement, do you?
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