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Though the Bible was written
thousands of years ago, it speaks with vivid clarity about many
of the modern issues that face America like abortion, welfare,
and illegal immigration. The United States was founded upon the
millions of immigrants who came to this land looking for hope,
and today is indeed sustained by immigrants who work, pay taxes,
and contribute to the whole.
The Bible explains that these
foreigners should not be mistreated or forsaken. To make this
point, the Almighty spoke to the nation of Israel to remember
that they were once aliens and sojourners in a foreign
land. Leviticus 19:33-34, “And if a stranger sojourn with thee
in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that
dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and
thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the
land of Egypt: I am YHWH your Elohim / the LORD your God.” This
verse is complemented with the Deuteronomy 10:19 passage, “Love
ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of
Egypt.” These verses are not taken out of context of the Bible,
nor are they applicable only to the Jewish people. Instead,
they reinforce the Biblical message of love and acceptance of
those who are less fortunate.
The plaque on Ellis Island that
reads “give me your tired, your poor” should be remembered as
the beckon call of our nation. Immigrants should simply not be
blamed for social and economic problems, as everyone’s ancestors
were an immigrant at one time or another. Immigrants who agree
to cooperate with civil laws should be allowed to become part of
America. This is not just a governmental issue that should be
solved by secular humanistic thinkers in the legislature. Bible
believers should express love and concern for their neighbors
(legal citizens or not) and therefore create a tidal wave of
care that reaches to the steps of the White House.
One section of scripture that
must be discussed is Romans 13:1-7 that insists that believers
should obey the laws of the government. While illegal
immigration may be the law of the land of the USA, it is also a
set of laws that have become almost impossible to enforce. It
is true that while in Egypt, the Hebrew people had to obey and
respect the commands of Pharaoh. Today, the American law books
are full of antiquated rules about this subject that provide
little funding or clarity for enforcement, resulting in states
choosing to take up their own laws as Arizona has recently
done. The cost of removing those in America illegally would be
insurmountable to a country trying to climb its way out of
recession. It has been estimated that the cost of deporting 12
million people, housing them in camps, processing and shipping
them overseas or across a border would be in the billions of
dollars. Wouldn’t this same money be better used a stimulus to
the economy by providing tax cuts on gasoline or income?
Perhaps illegal immigrants should
be granted citizen status if they obey the principles of
American law by living at peace and contributing to
society. Conservative Christian leader Chuck Colson recently
wrote that “we ought to remind our fellow citizens who are so
angry about immigration that it is our desire for cheap labor
that has contributed to the problem. It’s bad enough that
illegal immigration is a “no-win” issue; it should not be a
“no-truth” issue, as well. And in the end, we must, as
Christians, treat everyone in our midst with godly compassion.”
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