WWJD? Immigration Edition
Someone I know and love recently received the following email.
Let's say I break into your house:
A lady wrote the best letter in the Editorials in ages!! It explains things better than all the baloney you hear on TV.
Recently, large demonstrations have taken place across the country protesting the fact that Congress is finally addressing the issue of illegal immigration. Certain people are angry that the U.S. might protect its own borders, might make it harder to sneak into this country and, once here, to stay indefinitely.
Let me see if I correctly understand the thinking behind these protests.
Let's say I break into your house. Let's say that when you discover me in your house, you insist that I leave. But I say, "I've made all the beds and washed the dishes and did the laundry and swept the floors; I've done all the things you don't like to do. I'm hard-working and honest (except for when I broke into your house).
According to the protesters, not only must you let me stay, you must add me to your family's insurance plan, educate my kids, and provide other benefits to me and to my family (my husband will do your yard work) because he too is hard-working and honest, except for that breaking in part).
If you try to call the police or force me out, I will call my friends who will picket your house carrying signs that proclaim my right to be there.
It's only fair, after all, because you have a nicer house than I do, and I'm just trying to better myself. I'm hard-working and honest, um, except for well, you know.
And what a deal it is for me!!
I live in your house, contributing only a fraction of the cost of my keep, and there is nothing you can do about it without being accused of selfishness, prejudice and being an anti-housebreaker. Oh yeah, and I want you to learn my language so you can communicate with me!
Why can't people see how ridiculous this is? Only in America....
If you agree, pass it on (in English). Share it if you see the value of it as a good simile. If not, blow it off, along with your future Social Security funds.
The person I know and love responded to the email with this........
Oh Yes!!! I LOVE it! This is a GREAT analogy!
Only don't you think you should complete it?
Remember how YOU got that "house"?
You broke in to somebody else's house, attacked and killed many of the people living in the house. You didn't offer to do any yard work or any such thing. Instead you herded the residents who survived into the attic or the basement, wouldn't let them work, many of them starved. You said this is now MY house and everything in it is MINE.
You did this all the while saying this is a Christian household and we should live by Christian Principles in this house.
You passed out Christian Principle Guidebooks (New Testaments) to all the members of the household, especially the children. In the guidebook they have little stories to illustrate Christian Principles. Like the one about the Good Samaritan. Samaritans were the people who in their day everyone looked down on (were prejudiced against.) Well one of these Samaritans is traveling and comes across a man who has been attacked, robbed, beaten, and left for dead on the side of the road. All the Good people pass him by as no concern of theirs. The Samaritan attends to this man and sees he needs medical help. He takes him to the hospital and says, "Give this man the things he needs to restore him to health. If there is any expense, I will REIMBURSE you when I return." (I wonder how many members of your household would identify with the Samaritan? My guess is they ALL would SAY they do.)
How about another part of the Guidebook to Christian Principles:
The followers of this Jesus (He's the one all this Christian stuff comes from) went to him and said, "Lord, you know God gave Moses the tablets with His COMMANDMENTS to us on them. You are His Son, do you have anything to add to these directives from God?" Jesus said, " As a matter of fact I do. Just one thing I want to add but this is the most important COMMANDMENT of them all: TAKE CARE OF ONE ANOTHER. (Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself, Love your neighbor as you love yourself.)
How about another part of the Guidebook to Christian Principles:
A guy comes up to this Jesus guy (remember, He's the one who established the Christian Principles most of the people in the "house" ascribe to). "Lord", he says, "I have followed the Ten Commandments all my life what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus says, "Just one more thing: sell whatsoever thou hast and give to the poor."
I guess my point is that according to the Christian Principles that we want to chisel in stone on all our courthouses and use as the basis for all our laws is that GOD gave us this "house" and all the treasures in it. It is NOT OURS. It was given to us to enjoy and to SHARE with one another.
So, your analogy is a GREAT analogy, it really puts it in the proper perspective. Subscribe to it, pass it around, just DON'T call yourself a CHRISTIAN, and don't say you follow CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES.
I agree and I love that he responded. I usually get these emails and just hit delete. We've been taken on this political ride for the last few years that we are a Christian nation, God Bless America and all that crap. I wonder if these so called Christians will ever start walking the walk.
Let's say I break into your house:
A lady wrote the best letter in the Editorials in ages!! It explains things better than all the baloney you hear on TV.
Recently, large demonstrations have taken place across the country protesting the fact that Congress is finally addressing the issue of illegal immigration. Certain people are angry that the U.S. might protect its own borders, might make it harder to sneak into this country and, once here, to stay indefinitely.
Let me see if I correctly understand the thinking behind these protests.
Let's say I break into your house. Let's say that when you discover me in your house, you insist that I leave. But I say, "I've made all the beds and washed the dishes and did the laundry and swept the floors; I've done all the things you don't like to do. I'm hard-working and honest (except for when I broke into your house).
According to the protesters, not only must you let me stay, you must add me to your family's insurance plan, educate my kids, and provide other benefits to me and to my family (my husband will do your yard work) because he too is hard-working and honest, except for that breaking in part).
If you try to call the police or force me out, I will call my friends who will picket your house carrying signs that proclaim my right to be there.
It's only fair, after all, because you have a nicer house than I do, and I'm just trying to better myself. I'm hard-working and honest, um, except for well, you know.
And what a deal it is for me!!
I live in your house, contributing only a fraction of the cost of my keep, and there is nothing you can do about it without being accused of selfishness, prejudice and being an anti-housebreaker. Oh yeah, and I want you to learn my language so you can communicate with me!
Why can't people see how ridiculous this is? Only in America....
If you agree, pass it on (in English). Share it if you see the value of it as a good simile. If not, blow it off, along with your future Social Security funds.
The person I know and love responded to the email with this........
Oh Yes!!! I LOVE it! This is a GREAT analogy!
Only don't you think you should complete it?
Remember how YOU got that "house"?
You broke in to somebody else's house, attacked and killed many of the people living in the house. You didn't offer to do any yard work or any such thing. Instead you herded the residents who survived into the attic or the basement, wouldn't let them work, many of them starved. You said this is now MY house and everything in it is MINE.
You did this all the while saying this is a Christian household and we should live by Christian Principles in this house.
You passed out Christian Principle Guidebooks (New Testaments) to all the members of the household, especially the children. In the guidebook they have little stories to illustrate Christian Principles. Like the one about the Good Samaritan. Samaritans were the people who in their day everyone looked down on (were prejudiced against.) Well one of these Samaritans is traveling and comes across a man who has been attacked, robbed, beaten, and left for dead on the side of the road. All the Good people pass him by as no concern of theirs. The Samaritan attends to this man and sees he needs medical help. He takes him to the hospital and says, "Give this man the things he needs to restore him to health. If there is any expense, I will REIMBURSE you when I return." (I wonder how many members of your household would identify with the Samaritan? My guess is they ALL would SAY they do.)
How about another part of the Guidebook to Christian Principles:
The followers of this Jesus (He's the one all this Christian stuff comes from) went to him and said, "Lord, you know God gave Moses the tablets with His COMMANDMENTS to us on them. You are His Son, do you have anything to add to these directives from God?" Jesus said, " As a matter of fact I do. Just one thing I want to add but this is the most important COMMANDMENT of them all: TAKE CARE OF ONE ANOTHER. (Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself, Love your neighbor as you love yourself.)
How about another part of the Guidebook to Christian Principles:
A guy comes up to this Jesus guy (remember, He's the one who established the Christian Principles most of the people in the "house" ascribe to). "Lord", he says, "I have followed the Ten Commandments all my life what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus says, "Just one more thing: sell whatsoever thou hast and give to the poor."
I guess my point is that according to the Christian Principles that we want to chisel in stone on all our courthouses and use as the basis for all our laws is that GOD gave us this "house" and all the treasures in it. It is NOT OURS. It was given to us to enjoy and to SHARE with one another.
So, your analogy is a GREAT analogy, it really puts it in the proper perspective. Subscribe to it, pass it around, just DON'T call yourself a CHRISTIAN, and don't say you follow CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES.
I agree and I love that he responded. I usually get these emails and just hit delete. We've been taken on this political ride for the last few years that we are a Christian nation, God Bless America and all that crap. I wonder if these so called Christians will ever start walking the walk.
Labels: Politico
posted by Marcie at 12:32 PM
5 Comments:
Oh geez.
Leaving out the Christian part of it, the analogy falls apart right at the beginning. Our country is not a house, by any stretch of the imagination. And the respondent makes a wonderful point about how, even if you do accept that faulty premise, WE ALL BROKE IN years ago. And that same kind of break-in happened all over the world - and still does in some places.
tim? kiss him for me!
OOOOOO,I love this!! BAM!
this is exactly why, on the days when my parents are here to help me with the baby, I have to keep my brain on lockdown. otherwise, I'll say things similar to the response part of your post, and it gets me into endless hot water with them, b/c they turn a deaf ear to rational discussion. they're so brainwashed and it hurts me in the pit of my stomach.
I'm so impressed with the words in that response. awesome.
THIS IS GREAT! My FIL has sent similar e-mails as the first one (has finally stopped after a huge fight because he repeatedly sent them despite our requests to stop) - and I wish I had said something similar.
It's so annoying when people use the whole "my house" analogy and pretend that the original "break and entry" never happened...
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