Events such as the terrorist attacks in Paris and Beirut last week tend to bring out the absolute best and the absolute worst in people. Unfortunately, over the course of the past few days, the majority of what I’ve been seeing falls into the worst category.
Several governors (all Republican, by the way) have stated they will not allow any Syrian refugees to enter their states. The fact that they can’t actually do this hasn’t seemed to dawn on any of them. Further, this is a crass and craven political gesture that is ultimately meaningless, but actually has some rather damaging potential consequences. Even if they could do this, it would be absolutely wrong. If we are, as many continuously claim, truly a Christian nation, then we absolutely cannot do this. This is directly antithetical to the Biblical directive to show hospitality to the refugee, the widow and the orphan. It seems to me that it is possible to set up effective safeguards that would, to the best of our ability, keep the bad apples out. That seems a much better course of action than literally slamming the door in the faces of so many that really and truly need our help.
Some will argue that draconian measures are necessary to keep us safe. Certainly safety is important, but it’s also important to remember that life itself is a constant risk. When you swing your legs over the edge of the bed in the morning and put your feet on the floor, that’s a risk. Walking to the bathroom is a risk. Brewing the morning coffee is a risk; I’ve actually burned my hand when some scalding hot coffee spilled. The point is, there is no way one can ever make life completely risk-free. And, when we don’t do something we know in our hearts is the right thing to do in the name of staying safe, do we really deserve that safety? I am at the point in my life where I’m really beginning to wonder if not doing something I feel called to do because of perceived safety concerns is something I should keep doing. The way I’m currently leaning, the answer to that question would have to be no. Getting back to the larger point, as a country we could do far better than denying people sanctuary based on where they came from.
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