Bob's Blog

The silence is deafening!  So much so that this blog should more rightly be titled, “Pro-Life Hypocrisy.”

Last month I described how putting Donald Trump in the White House solely because of his ability to nominate justices to SCOTUS that might vote to overturn “Roe v Wade”, without regard for all of his other deficiencies, amounted to nothing less than idolatry.  This month, as the circus in Washington continues, I am compelled to write about how such idolatry is now morphing into a tragic form of hypocrisy.

Over the past few weeks, along America’s southern border, more than 2300 children have been separated from their families. They came here illegally – or so we’ve been told – from Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, and other Central American countries; and their punishment, a deterrent to other would-be immigrants, involves separating parents from their children.

The actions are horrific — nothing less than public sin.  And fortunately, many faith communities have begun to speak out against these actions.  But from America’s Pro-Life community — from those pretending to be advocates for the rights of children — from those claiming to be the moral conscience of America . . . silence!

Could it be that the only life that really matters is life in the womb?  Once a baby is born does a society cease to bear any additional responsibility for that child?  (And to the Protestant Community, this is an especially important question in light of our understanding of the Sacrament of Baptism!)  Or does a community’s concern for the lives of children end if parents break the law?  Are we only interested in caring for the most vulnerable among us if their parents are responsible, law-abiding citizens?

If we were to believe the current Administration’s assessment of the immigration issues facing our nation (which, as is the case with so much of their propaganda, we can’t!) we’d think that all of our immigration woes are the result of Mexicans illegally crossing our border.  We’d believe that once here, these ‘worst of the worst’ do little more than murder old men and rape young girls.  These are the talking points for those leading the take-over of the “Grand Old Party”; but the facts, which appear to offend so many in this Administration, are dramatically different.

Two-thirds of the illegal immigrants in America today are here because their Visas have expired and they have not returned home.  They are called “overstays”, and they didn’t charge fences or illegally cross border patrol lines. They came through airports and train stations, went thru customs, and did what the rest of us do whenever we travel abroad.  Further, the country with the most “overstays” in America today is not Mexico; it is Canada.

So we can debate all of issues surrounding immigration in America today; but the fact remains that families running our borders are not the problem.  And to suggest otherwise is not just inaccurate, but a blatant lie!

But here’s the real point.  Even if illegals crossing the boarder from Mexico is the greatest immigration struggle of our nation, is using children as pawns really the best way to address this problem?  Is taking children from their parents really the best ‘deterrent’ we have?

What is wrong with us?  What has happened to this nation?  Republicans and Democrats are BOTH failing us; so it’s time for we in the Church to stand up and be heard.  This is simply unacceptable!  And it must be stopped . . . by calling Congress . . . by speaking up and challenging those around us who think otherwise . . . and by voting in November.

It’s time for us people of all faiths to come together . . . including those Christian Evangelicals who are part of the pro-life movement in this country.  If you really care about children; and if you really value ALL life; then you must speak up.  Your silence on this matter is deafening.  All of us must hear the call of God to move beyond the agenda of the political party with which we affiliate, and return to the agenda of Jesus: caring for the least among us, and teaching the children among us the way of kindness, compassion, and love.