Since we have been discussing how a religious person reconciles a humanitarian crisis witinh our immigration system, I thought this article would be some food for thought. So far as I can determine, the good folks of PWC have chosen to their better angels and NOT fallen into the ranks of hateful public protests.
Strangers at Our Door: Refugees, a Crisis of Conscience for American Christians
Michael Stafford ABC Religion and Ethics 25 Jul 2014
In the words of Pope Francis, America is experiencing a “humanitarian emergency.” Fleeing instability and violence in Central America, a human tide of thousands of refugees, many of them unaccompanied children, has been flooding across our southern border.
As children often travelling alone, these refugees are uniquely vulnerable. And yet their arrival has been met, in many instances, with ugly scenes including displays of rank nativism, cruelty and hatred. Instead of finding sanctuary and protection, they are the targets of abuse. As CNN has reported regarding one shameful incident in Murrieta, California, “busloads of babies in their mothers’ laps, teens, ‘tweens and toddlers … were met by screaming protesters waving and wearing American flags and bearing signs that read such things as ‘Return to Sender.'” These reactions communicate a brutally simple message: you are not welcome here.
Lots of thunder-boomers happening this summer. The last one featured loud cracks of thunder and horizontal rain coming down in sheets. I thought for sure my neighbor’s oak trees would land in my living room.