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 ...
Favors earned citizenship, not amnesty; believes deportation is impractical; supports tighter border security.Council on American-Islamic Relations:
Supports earned citizenship; keeping families united; favors security to exclude terrorists, with safeguards against abuse. Opposes a guest worker program and criminalizing humanitarian aid.Focus on the Family:
The group has not addressed the issueU.S. Conference on Catholic Bishops:
Favors comprehensive immigration reform, including legal means for immigrants already here to become residents. Supports earned citizenship instead of blanket amnesty. Opposes criminalizing immigrants and those who provide humanitarian aidFamily Research Council:
Border security is the top priority, and the group hasn't taken a stand on other issues such as amnesty, guest workers or criminalization of illegal immigrantsNational Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference:
Supports a guest worker program, provisions for illegal immigrants to earn citizenship and streamlined procedures for reuniting familiesNational Association of Evangelicals:
The group declines to take an official stand.
Deport them back the POS country they came from. If they want to come back LEGALLY then they are more than welcome at my church. But they better learn english because we don't do bi-lingualism.
Ah, yes, not only deport him, but deport him first. Mexico needs a solid middle-class. This is a start.
Give unto Ceasar what is Ceasar's,
Give unto Tax-paying, law-abiding Americans what is theirs
Give unto border hoppers.... the boot
Respect is a two way street.
The intention of millions of these particular strangers is to turn our great nation into a carbon copy of their cesspools of origin, their allegiance remaining wholly with the latter.
Deport their asses, pronto.
Mat 22:17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
Mat 22:18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, [ye] hypocrites?
Mat 22:19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
Mat 22:20 And he saith unto them, Whose [is] this image and superscription?
Mat 22:21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
Point being, obey the laws of the land. If the laws go against God, obey God.
Border control does NOT go against God.
Deport them.
Do not disobey the laws in the first place.
Has taken no position on immigration, but there is a general consensus about securing the borders first, then addressing illegal immigrants already here
Richard Lang, from the Southern Baptist Convention, has been in the news lately taking all the arrows for speaking up when so many evangelicals are quiet.
Richard Lang writes in Baptist Press News:
Some will ask, "Why not just insist that all of the more than 12 million illegal immigrants go home?" The simple answer is that there is neither the political nor economic will in the U.S. population for forcibly rounding up 12 million people -- many of them who have children who are America citizens -- and shipping them back to their country of origin. Politics and public policy are the “art of the possible.” The reality is that the United States is not going to deport 12 million people, whether you think we should or not.Once the federal government has convinced the American people that it has the will and is committing the resources necessary to enforce its laws, then I believe a consensus can be built and will form around some type of “guest-worker” program that would address the question of the illegal immigrants who are already in the United States.
What would the contours of such a program look like? First, it must not involve any type of “amnesty” that would just forgive the illegal entry of people. It would recognize that these people did break the law in order to come here and work. Most of them have been hard-working, law-abiding residents since their arrival.
Such a “guest-worker” program would, in effect, say to those who are here illegally: You have a one-time opportunity of six months to come forward and apply for a “guest-worker” status, agree to undergo a criminal background check and agree to learn English.
33 When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
Not sure why this is such a hard concept. When I invite someone into my house, I expect that they enter through the front door, not the basement window.
Taking what isn't yours is a violation of Scripture.When they cut in line of those who obey the immigration laws they are stealing. Sneaking into a place that isn't yours and breaking laws to do it is not Scriptural either so why would anyone assume Jesus would condone and bless those actions.
Wonderful phrasing.
"protect Americans from outsiders"?? What a close-minded, bigoted way of looking at things! Who are we afraid of? Only an evil Republican would have any interest in that!
"an open-door policy to ensure opportunity to the poor of other nations" Well, now you're talking. That's humane. That's rational. All good people feel this way about the issue, of course. My friends and I are in perfect agreement.
no bias here.
Blithering idiots... Just more political leftspeak for "We demand you let us break your laws"
Beam me up Scotty! I'm getting sick. The Christian thing is to deport them to the trash country they came from.
Yes we can. Nothing would be better for Mexico.
I'll see you, and raise you a John 10:1
"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber."
As a Christian, one is not to support our laws if it causes lawbreakers some discomfort.
That's what I get from their argument. Makes no sense.
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