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Posted on 04/28/2006 11:23:02 AM PDT by george wythe
Does a focus on family values demand a tight border to protect Americans from outsiders, or an open-door policy to ensure opportunity to the poor of other nations? It is more important to welcome the stranger or to respect the rule of law?
At a forum Thursday hosted by the conservative Christian group Family Research Council, conservative and liberal religious leaders lobbed Bible verses, unable to agree on what Jesus would do about the nation's nearly 12 million illegal immigrants.
Immigrant advocates warned that a crackdown would harm families and violate Scripture. And a lawmaker leading the charge for tougher enforcement decried the impulse to direct "compassion" at foreigners while ignoring the plight of low-income Americans.
(Excerpt) Read more at khou.com ...
Yes
I don't know what planet you live on but on this one, I doubt anyone here has helped himself, ie, just taken, food from an illegal food picker. We pay for our food, which is different, as most normal people understand.
17Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
18For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
It would appear that our governments laws on aliens do break the law of moses.
"Tortured theology" is what it takes to believe that we are called to let our home be overrun by criminals who run amok and just take what they can, and not protect our own boundaries.
Having a "roundup" is a practical issue, not a moral one. It would be impractical to atttempt to deport twelve million people all at once, as even demagogues keep joyously pointing out, but to deport illegals whenever it can be done, is at least a shot at enforcing the law. But of course, many criminals and criminal sympathizers complain that "the law" is immoral (when they want to break it.)
What's wrong with you?
sw
If I love him, not only can I deport him, I MUST deport him if he has broken the law. I must not let my neighbor, whom I love, to think for one minute that he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants. I must not let him entertain the notion that the law does not apply to him (this is in direct contrast to the Biblical view I am attemtpting to administer to him by loving him as my neighbor--God is no respecter of persons, you know). If I love him, I will walk him to my border, explain to him clearly as we go, why what he has done is wrong, persuade him to realize the truth of this (that his violation of our borders was wrong), expect him to own up to this by openly acknowledging his error, accept his forgiveness, explain to him the path he needs to pursue to honestly/legally obtain that which he wants, embrace him as a fellow-traveller (thinking beyond Nations here)and let him know that this is the only right way of doing things concerning this particular issue--the only path God would approve (again, we are implementing a biblically-based solution here, right. That means all parties have to, or ought to behave biblically). Lastly, I would remind him that there are those who would actually seek to instigate him to flip things around, to justify wrong behavior in the name of some higher good, they would seek by the power of sheer numbers to persuade him that this many people cannot be wrong. I would let him know that the One from whom we have received instruction to love our neighbor never did anything amiss--even for the purpose of attaining some greater good. I would also remind my neighbor of the story that this One told in which he described 2 roads and on one of those roads there were a large number of individuals (a larger number, in fact, than were on the other road in that story), but that road that was leading to destruction. The masses, thus are pictured heading in the wrong direction.
Article I Section 9
The migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten dollars per person.
This seems to cover immigration and slavery does it not?
Nowhere in scripture are we told that it is permissible to break laws simply because we disagree with them on other than biblical grounds. I don't know of any commands given by Jesus Christ (or by Moses in the case of Jews) which can not be obeyed while still obeying US immigration laws. AFAIK there are no current US or state laws which prohibit providing humanitarian aid such as food, drink, shelter, or clothing to illegal immigrants by an individual or an organization.
But there are laws which prohibit hiring illegal aliens and against aiding them in committing the crime of illegal entry into the nation's borders. Any employer of illegals or any person or organization which aids and abets illegal entry is breaking both government law and God's command to obey the lawful authority of the government.
For me there are no gray areas in this matter. Christians are commanded to obey the laws of our land unless those laws conflict with the laws and commands of God as given in his word.
Here is quote that takes the opposite stand and promotes use of force to remove people that shouldn't be there:
1. Exodus 23:31 "I will establish your borders from the Red Sea [ Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds ] to the Sea of the Philistines, [ That is, the Mediterranean ] and from the desert to the River. [ That is, the Euphrates ] I will hand over to you the people who live in the land and you will drive them out before you.
And when the law is changed to provide a legal way for aliens to stay, I assume you will expect Christians to support that new law too?
Can you love your neighbor and deport him?
OF COURSE you can! To encourage people to keep sinning (by breaking the law) is not loving at all. Christians are obligated to obey all laws...even ones they think are stupid...except those laws which demand that they break God's laws. God's law in the Old Testament commands us to genearally be kind to strangers & foreigners--but says nothing about open borders.
The Christian answer to illegal aliens is to help them to return home--in obedience to the law.
I actually was a par of that once...a Modavian fellow came to the USA on a tourist visa, thinking he could stay here. He owed the Russian mafia money for his expensive plane ticket. The Christians he knew, and the church he volunteered at helped him raise money to pay off his debt, AND when his visa was up, put him on a plane back to Moldavia. He wasn't happy to go, but knew it was the right thing to do.
Lev's laws followed Exodus.
Go home and sin no more!
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If Christian people every where will base their decision on the Word of God... They will find this...Jesus Christ never broke any laws...he taught his disciples to obey the laws even though they might be wrongly imposed...so "they would not offend anyone."So what is the question here?Do we agree with the law and deport the ones that broke the law(or is the law wrong now?).It was written for this very issue you see now.
So why do people have trouble with doing the right thing?That being enforcing the law.Because they are listening to the wrong voices.We can be compassionate and still enforce the law people.
Man, some Christians can be so mind-bogglingly stupid.
And when the law is changed to provide a legal way for aliens to stay, I assume you will expect Christians to support that new law too?
That would be breaking the law in itself.
Response: The question implies a delightful confusion of the political and the religious concepts.
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