Anti Immigration Attitudes and Behaviors Violate God’s Commands About Loving Your Neighbor

Christian Nationalists Fear Immigrants
The purpose of this page is to show how Christian Nationalists’ attitudes about  immigrants and immigration violate God’s commandments. It reveals what the bible says about how God wants all people – not just Jews and Christians – to relate to immigrants. His expectations are clear, simple and doable for everyone regardless of their religious beliefs.

People who are familiar with the bible may recognize that these principles are important elements of God’s commandments to love your neighbor as yourself. Others may intuit that these are expressions of Godly love. But, even people who don’t believe in God will recognize that the world will be a better place if everyone lived by these principles. They know this because they have an inclusive idea of who their neighbors are and are compelled to welcome them and serve them. 

A positive feature of these principles is that they can be practiced without being religious. That means that it is not necessary to identify as Christian or Jew to follow these principles. In other words, people who embrace immigrants according to these principles will do so because it is in their heart – not as a matter of religious performance. 

Although there is something in this post for everyone, it has special application for Christian Nationalists because they are well-known for their strong feelings about immigration. It also has applications for Israeli Jews who are embroiled in conflict with their regional neighbors. Here are links that document Christian Nationalists’ feelings:

 

These articles explain why immigration is the top issue that divides America in 2024. Anti-immigration Christian Nationalists clearly take their cues on immigration from political and religious leaders (both Jews and Christians) who do not know – or do not care – what the bible says about loving your neighbor and welcoming strangers. Either way, Christian Nationalist and Jewish beliefs and behaviors contradict God’s commands.

How to Relate to Strangers and Aliens
Because the bible reports several stories of major characters (e.g. Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Ruth, Israel, Jesus, etc.) who lived as aliens in foreign lands,  we should not be surprised to learn that God has given many commandments about how to relate to strangers and aliens. Leviticus 19:33-34 is a very clear summary of all of commandments regarding how to relate to immigrants:

‘33 When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. 34 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”

Although this command is crystal clear, Christian Nationalists choose to ignore it. Nevertheless, God has  conveniently provided more scriptures for those who might have missed Leviticus 19:33-34. Because these verses are scattered throughout the bible, Christian Nationalists have no excuse for disobeying them.

  • Do not wrong strangers or oppress them.
  • Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
  • Show love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.
  • The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself.
  • Protect strangers. Support the fatherless and the widows
  • Be a stronghold for the oppressed in times of trouble.
  • Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.
  • Pure and undefiled religion is this: visit orphans and widows in their distress.
  • Provide for the alien, the orphan and the widow so they can eat and be satisfied.
  • Do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow.
  • Do not despise little children so that any of them perish.
  • Do not turn aside the alien.
  • Vindicate the orphan and the oppressed.

People who are not familiar with the bible, and even people who do not believe in God, will not be handicapped in their ability to recognize that these statements are practical, common sense guidelines for how to relate to all their neighbors – not just strangers, aliens and enemies. People with good hearts don’t need scripture references to know that these statements describe the essence of good character, sound legislation and peaceful coexistence in all cultures. Nor do people with good hearts need to be reminded that the attitudes and behaviors represented in these scriptures are glaringly absent in Christian Nationalists and in Jews that condone oppression of Gaza Palestinians.

Immigrants as Enemies
Throughout history, dominant native cultures have been fearful of people who were not like them in one way or another (e.g. skin color, language, dress, culture, etc.) No doubt this is why God found it necessary to give very clear commandments about how to treat immigrants. Nevertheless, many people – including Christian Nationalists – are fearful of immigrants and wrongly see them as enemies. The following scriptures clearly report how God expects his people to relate to enemies:

  • Love your enemies.
  • Do good to those who hate you.
  • Support the fatherless and the widows.
  • Do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.
  • Love and care for your neighbor the same way you love and care for yourself.
  • Do not take vengeance, or bear grudges against others.
  • Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
  • IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK.
  • Luke 6: 35 Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great.

These are God’s laws about how to relate to strangers, aliens and enemies. Christian Nationalists imagine immigrants to be their enemies even though God says that they should be treated as neighbors. God considers this attitude to be injustice because obedience to God’s laws define his standards of righteousness and justice. Therefore, failure to obey these laws is injustice which can also be labeled as sin because the definition of sin is lawbreaking. Christian Nationalists break God’s laws when they consistently and unrepentantly reject, despise and fear immigrants. Not only are they lawbreakers, they are also self-righteous hypocrites. 

It is also  worth remembering that denial of justice to immigrants is a gross example of favoritism and partiality which is also defined as sin. This confirms that failure to obey God’s commands about how to relate to strangers and aliens is sin.

Perhaps the most common application of God’s laws regarding immigrants is in the context of politics and voting where opposition to immigration of foreign aliens can be the defining issue that informs whom people vote for. Therefore, people who vote for candidates who advocate for rejection and mistreatment of immigrants are accomplices to their sins.

Candidates for office who relate to strangers, aliens and enemies in ways that are consistent with God’s commands are worthy of receiving the votes of discerning voters. Candidates who relate to strangers, aliens and enemies in ways that are inconsistent with God’s commands are not worthy of receiving the votes of discerning voters. God judges people based on the content of hearts — not on politics or policy preferences. This is an important fact to remember when Choosing Friends, Making Alliances and Voting. 

While American democracy gives citizens freedom to have opinions that are unpopular with other Americans and to vote according to their conscience, the same freedom does not exist in God’s kingdom. The hearts (i.e. consciences) of New Covenant disciples will not allow them to vote for candidates who break God’s laws.

Conclusions
Attitudes about immigration make Christian Nationalists a divisive influence in America and a threat to all Americans (present and future) who are not like Christian Nationalists. Although these attitudes have lurked  in the hearts and minds of Christians and Jews forever, religious leaders have never taken the initiative to argue for unity by teaching God’s specific commands about loving your neighbors and enemies. If religious leaders had been successful in teaching these principles, Israel and America would not be in their current predicaments.

Reasonable people with good hearts will agree that the hearts and minds of immigrant-hating Jews and Christians will not change unless and until someone teaches them what God says about how he wants them to relate to immigrants, aliens, strangers and enemies. Furthermore, it is not likely that Jewish or Christian religious leaders will suddenly get religion about God’s commandments and start teaching their followers what God says. This situation leaves an opportunity for journalists and others to use their established platforms to teach what the bible says about how to relate to immigrants..

Because teaching the bible is not what secular journalists signed up for, they will no doubt be reluctant to fill the knowledge gap created by recalcitrant religious leaders. This is understandable, but it is not an excuse for failing to fulfill their journalistic obligations to speak truth to power. 

The truths journalists need to know are listed on this page. All they need to do is create a way to package it and share it. Who knows, perhaps some Christian Nationalists will experience shame for their hypocrisy and vote for political candidates who welcome immigrants as neighbors.

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