Illegal Immigration
I don't know many of the details regarding the Arizona immigration law. I do know that it seems to have prompted a bit of an uproar politically in this country. Living in Texas, I agree that this issue is one that the country does not do a great job with.
Isn't it kind of ironic that the people most worried about illegal immigration are mostly descendants of people who moved to this country despite the opinion of the existing occupants that their doing so was illegal? If Americans truly believe in democracy, don't some of those God-given inalienable rights apply to people who aren't Americans? Most of the opposition to immigration stems from people's selfish desires not to see their standard of living decline. Many people also feel threatened by the prospect of becoming a racial or linguistic minority in their own country. If God created all humans equal and did not draw borders on the world he created, does it not make sense for those of us who are Christians to welcome immigrants even if it might mean that our standard of living suffers or we are not part of the dominant culture?
Scripture consistently sides with the "have nots" rather than the "haves." In Leviticus the Isrealites were instructed that "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." I think the issue is relatively clear for believers. If you are an evolutionist who believes in the survival of the fittest, I suspect that a different approach to this issue is what you have in mind.
Isn't it kind of ironic that the people most worried about illegal immigration are mostly descendants of people who moved to this country despite the opinion of the existing occupants that their doing so was illegal? If Americans truly believe in democracy, don't some of those God-given inalienable rights apply to people who aren't Americans? Most of the opposition to immigration stems from people's selfish desires not to see their standard of living decline. Many people also feel threatened by the prospect of becoming a racial or linguistic minority in their own country. If God created all humans equal and did not draw borders on the world he created, does it not make sense for those of us who are Christians to welcome immigrants even if it might mean that our standard of living suffers or we are not part of the dominant culture?
Scripture consistently sides with the "have nots" rather than the "haves." In Leviticus the Isrealites were instructed that "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." I think the issue is relatively clear for believers. If you are an evolutionist who believes in the survival of the fittest, I suspect that a different approach to this issue is what you have in mind.
posted by The Mad Hatter at 4:51 PM
1 Comments:
It's not so much about standard of living, minority status, or anything of the like. It's about the rule of law. There are legal ways to become a citizen of the US, and the people not following those rules are rightfully called "illegal" immigrants.
Here's what the widely-supported (in AZ) law basically does: It gives police who have had previously established legal contact with a person the opportunity to ask for proof of citizenship should the officer have some suspicion that the person is not a US citizen. It is not the gestapo-esque "SHOW ME YOUR PAPERS OR I WILL IMPRISON YOU" method that so many leftists are claiming.
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