Saw this today as I was driving through North Seattle–
If that doesn’t sum up the whole dust-up and brouhaha about letting refugees into the US, let’s try some Stephen Colbert–
And if that isn’t enough for you, let’s try some old-fashioned scripture–
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me,” says the LORD of hosts.
Malachi 3:5
The cynical fear-mongering by the right-wing in this country is sickening and depressing. These know-nothings understand perfectly well that people seeking refugee status in the US already have to pass a gauntlet of verification that typically takes years. Knowing that, though, they still posture and play legislative games to please their base, a slice of our demographic that is obsessed by ideological purity and conspiracy theories. Meanwhile people are left to suffer, and America is held up to derision. More than one commentator has pointed out that this sort of nativist effluvium plays right into the hands of the terrorists, giving them an unearned propaganda victory.
It’s especially sickening that many of these nimrods loudly profess their Christian faith, while apparently missing one of the core messages of the Gospel. Really, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that too many people in the American church have lost sight of important aspects of the Christian message, their field of vision being occluded by things basically un-Christian– capitalism, individualism, nationalism, racism (yeah, that’s there, no matter how many times people deny it, it’s a factor. Sorry the truth hurts).
Fortunately, there’s Sojourners—
https://sojo.net/articles/rejecting-refugees-rejecting-christ
Even there, though, there’s contention– don’t read the comments on that article unless you have a strong stomach.
It’s depressing. I really don’t know if this country has much of a future with half our political landscape spewing this sort of crap. All we can do is tell our senators to oppose this legislation when it gets to the Senate.
That, and pray.
Writing and other forms of suffering 