There seems to be a visceral reaction by many in this country to illegal aliens. That is especially true when the hate mongering and lack of compassion comes from religious right wing nuts. The viciousness and lies have even been trumpeted by leading presidential candidates in a far from presidential way. I have been thinking quite a bit about the reading below which is actually from yesterday. You may note there was no fresh blog entry for yesterday. The line that strikes me to the core is in the second to last paragraph of the passage ( Lev.19:35 ), the section that specifically speaks about aliens among us.
It seems quite telling that Hebrew scripture would have the Israelites be kind to aliens. The Hebrews were often aliens themselves. Perhaps while it was fresh in their collective memory it was reduced to 'paper' so that no Jew would ever forget what it is like to be a stranger in a foreign land, an alien, an illegal. They were slaves to other countries not unlike the pseudo-slavery illegals in the United States of America are living today. Indeed, look at Greece or Italy or any one of the European countries trying to come to grips with mass immigration, legal and otherwise.
This seems like such a timely passage to me. How is it that so many can so easily dismiss such a blatant and powerful admonition on how we should treat a stranger? This is certainly not the only passage in Hebrew scripture that deals with hospitality to strangers. The story of Lot and the two angels, often used as a batter passage against gays is actually a story about God taking retribution on Sodom and Gomorrah for their lack of hospitality. Indeed, raping people is certainly far in excess of mere inhospitality. This interpretation of the clobber passage of Lot is born out by all the earliest Rabbi's and hermeneutics.
How about we approach this in broader terms then since many people seem to have collective amnesia or cherry pick passages so to ignore others that might cause them to be ashamed of their behaviour. How do we decide how to act towards our brothers and sisters in any given situation? Most especially though, ones where we can choose by biblical means to act one way or another.
Certainly we can try to act on God's behalf. We can make judgements based on what we want to read into scripture or based on some flawed exegesis. That is precisely what many religious right wing nuts do. Heck, that's what the Roman church does all the time. I don't think we are only talking here about aliens, illegals from Mexico or other countries of South America; Not even simply Syria or Lebanon or any place where people flee tyranny, oppression and war. If only that were the limits. People are aliens in their own lands, people born here but born 'different'. That encompasses anyone in the LGBTQ community. Blacks. Asians. Native Americans. Challenged people. What is our stance on rights for everyone, for welcoming everyone?
If we are people of faith as Christians ( or any other faith ), how do we determine our course of action when our religious texts can give us options. I might say, we have an option to dismiss, justify, segregate, abuse or enshrine inequality. How do we decide? When facing opposing viewpoints in scripture, the course of action has to be the highest order of love we can come to and the most loving action we can muster. Love is the final arbiter. It's almost as if Jesus knew this kind of scriptural dichotomy exists or had the possibility of existing. Maybe that is what the Pharisees did all the time. Jesus gave us a higher commandment and that has always been to love.
Now what is the loving course of action towards 'aliens'?
It seems quite telling that Hebrew scripture would have the Israelites be kind to aliens. The Hebrews were often aliens themselves. Perhaps while it was fresh in their collective memory it was reduced to 'paper' so that no Jew would ever forget what it is like to be a stranger in a foreign land, an alien, an illegal. They were slaves to other countries not unlike the pseudo-slavery illegals in the United States of America are living today. Indeed, look at Greece or Italy or any one of the European countries trying to come to grips with mass immigration, legal and otherwise.
This seems like such a timely passage to me. How is it that so many can so easily dismiss such a blatant and powerful admonition on how we should treat a stranger? This is certainly not the only passage in Hebrew scripture that deals with hospitality to strangers. The story of Lot and the two angels, often used as a batter passage against gays is actually a story about God taking retribution on Sodom and Gomorrah for their lack of hospitality. Indeed, raping people is certainly far in excess of mere inhospitality. This interpretation of the clobber passage of Lot is born out by all the earliest Rabbi's and hermeneutics.
How about we approach this in broader terms then since many people seem to have collective amnesia or cherry pick passages so to ignore others that might cause them to be ashamed of their behaviour. How do we decide how to act towards our brothers and sisters in any given situation? Most especially though, ones where we can choose by biblical means to act one way or another.
Certainly we can try to act on God's behalf. We can make judgements based on what we want to read into scripture or based on some flawed exegesis. That is precisely what many religious right wing nuts do. Heck, that's what the Roman church does all the time. I don't think we are only talking here about aliens, illegals from Mexico or other countries of South America; Not even simply Syria or Lebanon or any place where people flee tyranny, oppression and war. If only that were the limits. People are aliens in their own lands, people born here but born 'different'. That encompasses anyone in the LGBTQ community. Blacks. Asians. Native Americans. Challenged people. What is our stance on rights for everyone, for welcoming everyone?
If we are people of faith as Christians ( or any other faith ), how do we determine our course of action when our religious texts can give us options. I might say, we have an option to dismiss, justify, segregate, abuse or enshrine inequality. How do we decide? When facing opposing viewpoints in scripture, the course of action has to be the highest order of love we can come to and the most loving action we can muster. Love is the final arbiter. It's almost as if Jesus knew this kind of scriptural dichotomy exists or had the possibility of existing. Maybe that is what the Pharisees did all the time. Jesus gave us a higher commandment and that has always been to love.
Now what is the loving course of action towards 'aliens'?
Leviticus 19:26-37
You shall not eat anything with its blood. You shall not practise augury or witchcraft. You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard. You shall not make any gashes in your flesh for the dead or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the Lord.
Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, so that the land may not become prostituted and full of depravity. You shall keep my sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.
Do not turn to mediums or wizards; do not seek them out, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.
You shall rise before the aged, and defer to the old; and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.
When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
You shall not cheat in measuring length, weight, or quantity. You shall have honest balances, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. You shall keep all my statutes and all my ordinances, and observe them: I am the Lord.
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