How many open borders loons can dance on the head of a pin?

The article "Illegal immigration polarizes Christians" contains several lunatic statements and assertions, but none more loony than this:
Dennis McCann, professor of Bible and Religion at Agnes Scott College said he'd be surprised if Jesus had much sense of borders and jurisdictions other than the Roman colonial system.

In all things concerning the Romans, he was indifferent rather than hostile, McCann wrote in an e-mail.

"He seems to have emphatically rejected zealotry or the idea of armed struggle against imperial occupation. Thus, I would be surprised to find Jesus endorsing any kind of punitive policy against illegal immigrants. Probably, if asked, he would favor amnesty for those already here, and generally would favor a borderless world, where people could come and go freely without interference from the state," McCann wrote. "That's my guess."
That follows several other statements from church leaders supporting open borders. But, surely, we can give Jesus more credit than he's given by the less-than-thoughtful (far-lefties?) quoted in the article.

In fact, here are a few questions they might want to ponder:

1. Would Jesus support ethnic nationalism, racial solidarity, and the like? Would he support those who want to bring more people to the U.S. simply because they're the same race as they are?

2. Would he support church leaders who want to take advantage of the bad situation of massive migration in order to expand their flock? Would he consider those church leaders corrupt?

3. Would Jesus support the Mexican oligarchy's plan to ship their excess population to the U.S. instead of taking care of them themselves?

4. Would he support corrupt corporations that profit off illegal immigration? Would he support, for instance, the bracero program or other similar guest worker schemes?

5. Would he consider that those currently in the U.S. have the right to say who should enter their country?

These church leaders should leave the policy to those who are able to think things through, because they're clearly incompetent.

Comments

On the reality of open borders;scenes from the Arizona-Mexico border.
http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Currents/Content?oid=oid:71525
(...)
This is a place where all the rhetoric from the president and his government about homeland security crumbles to pieces on the hot ground. The Tres Bellotas is a battleground in the relentless, ugly, nonstop invasion of drugs and illegals across our southern border.

It will happen again tonight. Robinson knows this, because two invaders showed themselves earlier on this beautiful July morning, shortly after breakfast. Walking openly, without fear of harassment, the two men walked from Mexican soil into the United States through the wide-open international border gate 200 yards below Robinson's home.

They were rolling a tire that needed air, and reaching the house, they asked one of Robinson's cowboys for permission to use the ranch compressor.

(...)
If they want air for their tire, you give it to them. If they want water, you're better off handing it over, because if you say no, they may break a water line to get it. If they want you to open the gate across the dirt road that runs between your home and your horse corrals, you open it. Why fight it? If you refuse, they'll just cut the lock.

Six months ago, Robinson looked out his window and saw something incredible--a traffic jam on the Tres Bellotas, with 15 pickup trucks backed up at this second gate, 150 feet from his house. The pickups sagged under the weight of the illegals they carried, probably 20 in each, 300 in all.

When Robinson walked out, the coyote asked him to open the gate to let them pass. Robinson did so, and off the group went, driving north.

(...)
This goes on almost daily, 75 miles southwest of Tucson--invaders from countries around the world coming across this international boundary in a time of war, a time when nuts would like nothing better than to sneak into this country and murder Americans on a grand scale.

(...)
From 2000 through 2003, plus the first nine months of fiscal 2004, agents in the Tucson sector, and the Arizona office of the Yuma sector, arrested 132 SIAs. The numbers include 10 from Afghanistan, seven from Iran, 12 from Yemen, 11 from Pakistan and three from Iraq.

Using the common estimate that the Border Patrol only catches one out of every three who cross, or as some believe, one of every five, we can calculate that upward of 660 individuals from terror-threat nations have crossed into our country through Arizona.

Those SIA arrest figures, by the way, include six individuals from Saudi Arabia, the country that produced 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 maniacs.

Homeland security?

Along the border south of Arivaca, you'd best stand back when you utter those words, because the subject tends to make folks spitting mad. Even Robinson, a silver-haired, soft-spoken gentleman, gets a fire in his eyes when he talks about it.

"It's a joke," says the 67-year-old, semi-retired veterinarian. "Homeland security doesn't exist."

(...)
One day in 2003, Robinson and one of his cowboys rode their horses to a hilltop close to the house. To their shock, they saw an estimated 300 illegals congregated in the draw below. The riders watched as the mob divided into groups of 30 apiece, with one man, presumably a coyote, taking charge of each one as they prepared to walk north.

"I rode down and talked to them," says Robinson. "They weren't nervous or acting as if they were doing anything illegal at all. But seeing all those people on my land, and the way they acted, that's when I knew things had changed around here."

From then until now, the smugglers have all but taken charge, hijacking a way of life.

(...)
Once-pristine canyons, narrow, shady oak and rock gorges, have become depressing dumping grounds for tons of feces, trash and personal items. "I don't really have anything against these illegals," says Robinson. "But it really gripes me how dirty they are, and they have no respect for private property."

(...)
On other occasions, the Kays have watched in astonishment as smuggler vehicles have rolled past in broad daylight, packed with human cargo. In one case, they saw a parade of pickup trucks with invaders sitting all around the edge of the rear bed, their arms locked so they wouldn't fall off. More stood in the bed, and they were packed in so tightly, it seemed impossible to breathe. Still more were packed into the double cabs like a fraternity stunt.

(...)
From Oct. 1, 2004, through July 24 of this year, Tucson sector agents arrested 375,000 illegals--37,000 a month. Of that 10-month arrest total, more than 28,324 had criminal records, 283 for sexually related crimes. Given this, and the effort it takes to reach their isolated house from the road, the Kays consider anyone who shows up at their door at night a threat. But they also know that should a confrontation go bad, American law enforcement will probably come after them.

"We've all been warned to not even show a gun to an illegal," she says. "A woman here did that a while ago, just showed it, didn't point it, and the FBI came to her house and warned her not to do it again, because it's a federal crime to threaten an illegal. But if I'm alone, what am I supposed to do? I can't scream, because no one will hear me."

Robinson is also sadly aware of whose side his own government is on when it comes to defending himself.(...)
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The Bush-Fox open-borders policy is direct aid to one of the most vile regimes on the planet:the collection of kleptocrats and narcotraficanteswho rule Mexico. I'm not religious so I don't think that writings from 2,000 years ago have much relevance to contemporary political reality; but if Jesus were alive today I don't think he would support policies that allow such vile people to remain in power. BTW, I also don't think he would support the Iraqi adventure.

Since I'm an agnostic, quoting the bible is a little unusual for me but the Baptists did have a crack at me when I was young. I seem to recall that Jesus also told the woman, "Go and sin no more." I don't hear Ralph suggesting that these illegal immigrants should go home and "sin no more."

Jesus said "render unto Caeser that which is Caeser's" and Paul wrote in Romans 13 that we should obey the laws, so we should obey the laws. I obey the laws.

However, Jesus also taught mercy and forgiveness. He never mandated that Christians should enforce the laws. In fact, with the woman caught in adultery, he convinced people to NOT give her the penalty that the law mandated. It was Jesus who explained that the law was made for man, that man wasn't made for the law. It was Jesus who taught compassion and forgiveness of sinners and lawbreakers.

Poor ralph needs a little bible study. Jesus handled this personally: "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and unto God that which is Gods"
Believe it or not we had 20 minutes bible study at lunchtime each workday at one of H Hughes companies years back. It was good stuff. Our teacher probably knew more about scripture than most the preachers I have known -Ex 101st airborne.
Nothing in that says you are entitled to disobey the law of the land, rather the other way.
Face it, the pope is /was not infallible. A little balmy maybe.

McCann can only guess at what Jesus would say. He said to one who questioned him about the Roman tax system, "Give to Ceasar what is due to Ceasar" (in short). In the Bible, you will see that the only people he didn't like were the hypocrites. He was a law-abiding citizen of the Roman Empire, and he would be a law-abiding citizen of the United States, were He to walk with us today.

The law states that it is wrong to enter our country without proper documents. So, those who are entering illegally, would be lovingly put into their place.

For the most part, churches are segregated by race and have not had to deal with the immigration issue although some have taken a stand on the issue already. Eventually churches will no longer be able to avoid the issue. It will be an interesting debate.

Everyone will certainly have their opinion and will attempt to distort the scriptures (as St. Pater said) to support their view. Those anti-immigration fanatics, overcome by their own hate, will certainly argue that Jesus would support deportation and punishment (meanwhile ignoring how Jesus dealt with sinners and lawbreakers).

In the end, the true Jesus-loving Christians will take advantage of the ministry opportunity sending laborers into the harvest fields and ministering to those whom God loves. You will certainly know a tree by its fruits.