Posted on 05/01/2010 6:30:15 AM PDT by Colofornian
No matter how much the LDS Church would like to remain neutral on the issue of illegal immigration, Mormon activists on opposite sides draw on their faith's doctrines or practices to buoy their positions.
Russell Pearce, the Arizona senator who proposed that state's tough anti-immigration law, is LDS and hails from Mesa, a stronghold of Mormonism. A former missionary for the faith, the Republican lawmaker points to LDS scripture to buttress his push for a crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
"We have a special duty [to] this land, this republic and to the rule of law," Pearce wrote in an e-mail. "It is our duty and well established in scripture and modern revelation."
He cites a verse from the Doctrine & Covenants, a part of the Mormon canon, that says to "let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land."
Pearce also refers to the Utah-based church's 12th Article of Faith, which says Mormons believe in "obeying, honoring and sustaining the law."
That also is a key teaching for GOP Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, a Mormon legislator from Orem who has met with Pearce several times and hopes to introduce a similar bill in Utah.
"We are a country with the rule of law," said Sandstrom, who served an LDS mission in Venezuela. "That's the only way a country can prosper."
On the opposite side are Latter-day Saints who argue for a more complex and humane approach to immigration. They point to church teachings about taking care of one's family, being hospitable to the stranger and building the kingdom of God.
"I don't think the intent of the Article of Faith was to make us vigilantes and gatekeepers and create anti-immigrant rhetoric and climate," said Ignacio Garcia, a Brigham Young University history professor.
Those who come into this country without documentation make hard choices, Garcia said. "It's a violation of the law, sure, but circumstances often force people to decide to break one law to obey the higher law."
Despite such roiling debates among its members, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has given no clear-cut guidance on this issue. The church has taken no stand on the Arizona bill, spokesman Scott Trotter said Thursday.
The church takes a sort-of "don't ask, don't tell" approach to the immigration status of its own members. Some estimate that 50 percent to 75 percent of members in Utah's 100-plus Spanish-speaking congregations are undocumented. That includes many bishops, branch presidents, even stake presidents.
The church sends missionaries among undocumented immigrants across the country, baptizing many of them without asking about their status. It also allows them to go to the temple and on missions.
"We're not agents of the immigration service, and we don't pretend to be," LDS apostle Jeffrey R. Holland told The Salt Lake Tribune last year, "and we also don't break the law."
In January 2008, Marlin Jensen, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, was assigned by LDS President Thomas S. Monson to urge Utah legislators to use "compassion" in their immigration legislation.
That didn't stop Utah's mostly LDS lawmakers from passing SB81, which took effect last July and tightened enforcement while limiting immigrants' access to some services.
Sandstrom does not advocate denying emergency care for undocumented immigrants, but believes "true compassion should be for those who can't come here legally because of the huge numbers who are here illegally."
And he doesn't care if they are Mormons, Catholics or adherents of any other faith. The law is the law.
On several occasions, Sandstrom said, he has shared his legislative proposals on illegal immigration with LDS officials.
"Not one of them told me to 'cease and desist,' " he said. "I've been told to do what I feel is right for the state and my constituents."
Garcia has, again, a different perspective.
No, the LDS Church has not come out as strongly against these anti-immigration measures as the Catholics or the Evangelical Association, he said.
Behind the scenes, however, Mormon leaders "do not support such draconian efforts."
Mormon conservatives seem to feel that not only is the United States being invaded by foreigners, but also their homes, their churches and their congregations, he said.
"But the Latter-day Saint who sees the work of the church as becoming a global faith," Garcia said, "[is] not running around complaining about immigrants."
"Draconian"???
From the article: "But the Latter-day Saint who sees the work of the church as becoming a global faith," Garcia said, "[is] not running around complaining about immigrants."
Immigrants? Or Illegal immigrants? And if illegal, why not (complain?)
From the article: In January 2008, Marlin Jensen, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, was assigned by LDS President Thomas S. Monson to urge Utah legislators to use "compassion" in their immigration legislation..."We're not agents of the immigration service, and we don't pretend to be," LDS apostle Jeffrey R. Holland told The Salt Lake Tribune last year...
Translate "compassion"...and does this quote of "not being agents of the immigration service" translate into looking the other way?
The Catholic church, the Mormons and other religious organizations...
For humanitarian reasons or for profit...
It would be nice if they would consider the American people’s needs instead...
Arent Americans their neighbors too ???
Follow the money.
I remember a few years back ICE went into a meat packing plant and rounded up something over 100 illegals. They always say, they will only take the jobs no one American will take. Bull hockey, there were 100’s of people lined up to get those jobs the next day.
Unfortunately this well written article will bring out the anti-Mormon posters on Free Republic but the fact is, there are people of all faiths and persuasions on both sides of this issue.
Russell Pearce is my Arizona State Senator and I am as proud of him for what he has done in the Arizona legislature as I could be. When running for the State Senate he ran against a Republican Executive who had a score of Carl’s Jr. Restaurant’s and wanted cheap help. The issue was immigration and Russell’s opponent went back twenty-five years into Russell’s past to publish information about his wife’s aborted divorce filing.
Russell is as moral a man as could be, regardless of his faith.
After that fiasco was 4 years ago ???
Those first big invasive street riots by the illegal aliens...
I refuse to call them “protest marches”
Our local Catholic Church announce that we who opposed the illegal aliens their so called “immigration rights” were bigots, racists, unChristlike etc...
I was shocked...partly because in our town all Chrsitian denominations and other religions lived peacefully together...
and here was the Catholic Church denouncing us as people who were denying these “worthy immigrants” their “Constitutional rights”
It was bad enough that we were suddenly and shocking invaded by 100s of 1000s of illegal aliens on our Americasn streets...
But on top of that we were being ordered to like it or else we were the bad peoiple...
It was mindblowing...
I think any religious organization that blantantly disobeys the immigration laws should be fined and lose their tax exemption...
Plus the leaders should be jailed...
That happened down here in Chattannooga, TN
But the illegal laien wives still walked the streets and had press conferences...
All in Spanish off course...
SIGH
If Russell Pearce is so moral, why is he opposing a very moral law in his state ???
Is he representing the American citizens in his state who voted for him ???
Or the illegal aliens who broke into his country ???
Ask yourself...
Is there anything moral about a man who refuses to support a moral law ???
I would arrest an offending priest in a heartbeat. If they are going to aid in breaking the law, they need to pay the piper.
You should see my home state of MD. Oh my gosh, it’s not even recognizable anymore. And the MS-13 gangs live around and close to where my mother lives.
If you mean Miller’s in Hyrum, yep, everyone was wanting a job then, because it was a good paying job (for the area, pretty chintzy for other parts of the U.S.)
>>>>Is there anything moral about a man who refuses to support a moral law ???
America’s prosperity is based on the fact that Americans have a historic tradition of observing the rule of law. The reason why Mexico is poor, is because they have a historical tradition of disregarding the rule of law.
If America was to adopt the Mexican culture of disregarding the rule of law, America would become as poor as Mexico. If Mexico was to adopt a tradition of the rule of law, they would become as rich as America.
The rule of law is what makes America’s capitalist system to work. The enforcement of business contracts, an impartial judiciary, honest police officers - none of these would exist if there was no rule of law.
My nephew in law works construction in the DC area. The illegals take up a lot of those higher paying jobs. They are taking jobs many American’s would do. It’s a lie when the left says they are only taking jobs no one else wants.
“America’s prosperity is based on the fact that Americans have a historic tradition of observing the rule of law. The reason why Mexico is poor, is because they have a historical tradition of disregarding the rule of law.
If America was to adopt the Mexican culture of disregarding the rule of law, America would become as poor as Mexico. If Mexico was to adopt a tradition of the rule of law, they would become as rich as America.
The rule of law is what makes America’s capitalist system to work. The enforcement of business contracts, an impartial judiciary, honest police officers - none of these would exist if there was no rule of law.”
I wanted to repeat that, because it was a brilliant post.
I’ve known about the MS-13 gangs for several years...
I didnt thinl we had any in SE TN...
about 3 years ago I happened to read an article in a local Sunday paper about some MS-13 gang members being arrested for the murder of another gang member in our area..
Tje body of the man had been found in another county but the murder occurred in our county...
I called the local law enforcment to ask about the gang activity in our town,,,
I was told they had been watching the MS-13 for MONTHS...
I was shocked and I told the man that MS-13 were extremely dangerous ...
I asked if they knew about the presence why they had not warned the people in our county...
We have a lot of elderly folk living kind of isolated out in the county and they could not protect themselves in a home invasion...
I was told that they “did not want to fighten anyone”
I told the man that that decesion was irresponsible because like me my neighbors thought we were safe in our area and did not take a lot of precautions...
I started locking my house up even tighter at night from that time on...
“Californian” was too quick to condemn. Russell Pearce is the one who is the big supporter of the Arizona Bill. Yes, he represents the American Citizens who voted for him. Over seventy percent of Arizonans want the immigration bill. Russell Pearce is very moral and is not opposing “a very moral law in his state”.
Please Californian Poster read the article you posted just a little bit more thoroughly.
Correct, it’s merely a ruse. Not only is it a lie, it’s a fabricated situation. Americans DID those jobs before the illegals came in and undercut their wages. Free market principles (with rule of law) did not allow for the Americas to get the jobs back. The problem is that the traitors that illegally hire illegal aliens, violating the law themselves. Why, because then the illegals are at their beck and call, and will do anything to keep their jobs.
I know of one place that regularly hires illegals (and which has had over a hundred taken during the same time period as the meat packing plant). That company, one Christmas, had to meet it’s production quota, and the workers wanted to go home. The supervisor allegedly padlocked the doors to keep the workers in because they all tried to go home (the person who told me didn’t seem to have a reason to lie, she wasn’t an illegal....or an immigrant..., and was merely talking about what a bad place it was to work).
But I have seen other situations like that. They are traitors, and it makes me sick.
“Californian” was too quick to condemn. Russell Pearce is the one who is the big supporter of the Arizona Bill. Yes, he represents the American Citizens who voted for him. Over seventy percent of Arizonans want the immigration bill. Russell Pearce is very moral and is not opposing “a very moral law in his state”.
Please Californian Poster read the article you posted just a little bit more thoroughly.
It’s totally irresponsible for them not to alert the community. I can tell you one thing, if these MS-13 gangs knew people were armed and would protect themselves they would move on.
Actually, read most of the article and all of the pro legislation comments are from Latter-day saints. The only arguing against (that I saw, not finished) was from a professor who the article does NOT say is a Latter-day Saint. So it’d probably be good to actually read (finish for me) the article.
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