RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS ARE COMING FORWARD TO DEFY THE GOVERNMENT AND SUPPORT IMMIGRANTS.
Refuting Donald Trump’s decisions on banning migrants, a network of Protestant and Orthodox churches are mobilizing their congregations to provide support and shelter to refugees. The church leaders have called on their congregants to stand against President Trump’s orders on banning refugees and building a wall across the U.S.-Mexican border and to lobby the president and the congress members who implement such plans.
Although the white Christian evangelicals were key in bringing Trump to power, their fellow Christians, the Orthodox and the Protestant Christians, don’t seem to share their views on immigration. Leaders of both churches have denounced the plans as being “unjust and immoral” and insisted these rules go against the fundamental values on which the U.S. was founded. The leaders argue the U.S. is based on a culture of accepting people and strangers, and the current talks of banning certain groups of people goes against what the nation stands for.
This is the latest in a series of religious organizations coming forward to defy the government and support immigrants. Already, Jewish and Christian communities have formed organizations to provide sanctuary to immigrants who need protection from authorities. Some of these organizations are highly organized underground networks, where people are set to provide shelter to immigrants in their own homes.
Christian response to Trump’s orders is divided as per polls. Not surprisingly, most white evangelicals said they agree that Trump’s decisions are valid, while other denominations had other views. The latest entrants to the network of churches that are standing up for migrant rights, the Orthodox and Protestant churches have called on their congregants to fight against anti-immigration laws in every way possible – appealing to their local leaders, signing petitions, and even observing Sunday service in honor of immigrants, besides raising funds for their support. A declaration jointly published by these denominations slam the government for terming refugees as “threats,” insisting that they are not. The churches are part of the two organizations, the National Council of Churches, as well as the Church World Service.