Posted by
David J. Hall on Wednesday, December 06, 2006 10:47:52 PM
Frankly, no.
When reading, interpreting, and applying scripture to real life, we must be careful to allow scripture to say what it means, and to not twist it (even ever so slightly) in order to gain some "evidence" to support our opinions.
As an American citizen and as a Christian, I was embarrassed a few months ago when Senator Hillary Clinton invoked scripture and the name of Jesus in an unfortunately obvious and [scripturally] ignorant attempt to support her political stance on illegal immigration.
While I am all for the use of scripture as a source of truth and wisdom for forming public policy in a democratic system of government, I am against the use of it by people who only use it when it is politically expedient while not adhering to the scriptures in good conscience the other 99% of the time.
So, back to the opening question: does scripture mandate open borders?
No, it does not.
Does it mandate sensitivity to the needy, the poor, and the oppressed? Yes, absolutely. However, that does not mean that open borders are intended.
For example, do you leave your front door unlocked at night? Do you leave your keys in the ignition when you go into the store? Do you leave your name, address, and social security number laying around in public?
I hope that you answered "no" to each of those questions.
Locking the front door at night does not mean that you are insensitive to the needy, the homeless, and the poor. It simply means that you are going to maintain control over who comes in and stays with your family -- a responsible thing to do for the security and wellbeing of your family.
You take your keys out of the ignition and take them into the store with you, not because you are insensitive to the needy, the homeless, or the poor who do not have access to a car. No, you simply are maintaining control over your car so that it can be used in appropriate situations by the right people who will use it responsibly and will not endanger others who are also on the road.
You maintain privacy with your personal information, not because you are insensitive to the needy, the homeless, or the poor, but because you reserve the use of that information for appropriate situations where that information would be helpful to you in helping your family and others.
So, if we do all of those things for the right reasons -- reasons of security and responsibility -- how is it any different when it comes to controlling our boarders?
Controlling our borders does not mean that they are closed. Controlling our borders does not mean that we are insensitive to the needy, the homeless, and the poor. Controlling the border simply means this: we will exercise due diligence for the safety of our citizens by controlling who will come into our "home" and benefit from our national identity and resources.
I would venture an educated guess: every person who is adamant about keeping the borders open in an uncontrolled manner (and who advocate that illegal immigrants have a "right" to be here and participate in everything that America has to offer) are also consistent about locking their doors and windows at night, always take their keys with them into the store after setting the alarm on their car, and are appalled when someone (like a credit card company) is loose with their personal I.D. in such a manner that it results in their personal "I.D. theft" experience.
America is a nation of immigrants and I believe it will continue as such. But, we are also a nation that cherishes the rule of law and due process that makes a clear distinction between people who are trustworthy to live in our society, and those who are not.
And by the way, exercising scrutiny in our immigration policy is not racism, for all of the skin colors and all of the cultures of the world are knocking on the door of this fine country. Instead, exercising scrutiny and due process in our immigration policy is simply this: wisdom!