re: Immigration and Christianity

I agree that Jesus was not an illegal immigrant. That's just poppycock. With that being said, it's great that your parents were able to do it legally. What about those who families are dying from hunger or in danger because of the violence in the area? Also, I don't agree the render into Caesar what is Caesar's applies in this situation.

There are two reasons for this. One, that was Christ answering what was clearly meant to be a gotcha question during what became known as Holy Week. The questioner was hoping to catch Jesus and thought he gave a question there was no good answer to. The question was should they pay taxes to Rome. If he said no, then he's guilty of sedition and fomenting a revolution. If he says yes, then the people are very unhappy and may riot as taxes to Rome were a hot button issue. His answer didn't take either of these and showed his wisdom. That verse has been used to support slavery, segregation, and all sorts of abuses that Christ would never have been for.

The second reason I don't think it's applicable here is because Caesar was the all powerful head of government and was accountable to no one. Even if we assume that what he commands would be applicable beyond that specific instance, I think we have to think about the differences in our government. We are not a dictatorship. We are a government of the people. We are, in a very real sense, Caesar. There is no reason we cannot grant amnesty to all if we wish for we are Caesar.