Hello again, everyone! The Church News reported just a short while ago that the Church has issued an official statement on the separation of families at the US border. The full text of that statement can be found here. It is my fervent hope that the leaders of all governments, especially here in the US, will heed the petition for reason and fairness in this matter.
While Church leaders are typically neutral on political matters, they are justified in expressing their view that the separation of families at the border should not be occurring. It is my personal and fervent hope that both major parties in the US and their leaders will unitedly work to correct a situation that should never have arisen. It seems that the current approach, at least here in the US, is for both sides to shift blame onto the other side, while neither takes responsibility for affecting real change. And that is certainly not an ideal situation when families are needlessly separated from each other.
I would invite all my readers to join with me in praying for those who are making the decisions in this regard, that reason and compassion will prevail, and that efforts will be made by all concerned to cooperate rather than continuing to squabble and play the blame game.
In happier news, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir embarked today on their 2018 "Classic Coast Tour", and the initial report on that can be found here. I continue to monitor all Church news and will do my level best to pass word of developments along as I receive it.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray thaat the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
Monday, June 18, 2018
Church Issues Statement on Families Separated at the Border; Tabernacle Choir Embarks on "Classic Coast Tour"
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
8 comments:
In addition to my life-long love for the subjects which I cover in the posts of this blog, I have long held the belief that we can disagree without becoming disagreeable. Differences of opinion are natural, while being disagreeable in expressing those differences is not. And in that sense, I have no desire to close the door on anyone who earnestly desires to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on subjects covered in the posts on this blog.
At the same time, however, I recognize that we live in a time when incivility, discourtesy, unkindness, and even cyber-bullying has regrettably become part of online interactions. With that in mind, while anyone who wishes can comment on anything if they choose to do so, I hereby reserve the right to immediately delete any comments which are critical, unkind, lack civility, or promote prodcuts, services, and values contrary to either the Church, or to the rules of online etiquette.
I'd also like to remind all who comment here that I try to respond personally to each individual comment as I feel is appropriate. Such replies are not meant to end the conversation, but to acknowledge earnest feedback as it is submitted.
And in order to better preserve the spirit and pure intentions for which this blog was established, I also hereby request that anyone not commenting with a regular user name (particularly those whose comments appear under the "Unknown" or "Anonymous" monikers, give the rest of us a name to work with in addressing any replies. If such individuals do not wish to disclose their actual given names, a pseudonym or nickname would suffice.
Any comments made by individuals who opt to not give a name by which they can ber identified may, depending on the substance and tone of such comments, be subject to deletion as well. I would respectfully ask that all of us do all we can to keep the dialogue positive, polite, and without malice or ill-will. May the Lord bless us all in our discussion of these important matters.
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I too support the idea of families not being separated at the boarder which means the only two ways to keep those families together is to either send the entire family back into Mexico so they can stay together or for the parents to stop breaking the law and illegally trying to enter a foreign country.
ReplyDeleteI have always had very mixed feelings about this, but we believe in honoring and sustaining the law. In that regard I find it hard for anyone illegally in another country, especially in the church, to honestly answer yes to the temple recommend question of are you honest in your dealings with your fellow man. It might be the one reason I may never become a Bishop, because if I know someone is breaking the law, how do I sign their recommend? It might also be part of my sense of duty and why I am a veteran and served my country.
Thank you for commenting, Kenny! I don't believe I have ever heard you reference your military service, so thanks for sharing your opinions. The Church seems to be taking a measured approach. I agree to a certain point with what you said above. The idea of children being forcibly separated from their parents, with family members not knowing how their siblings, parents, or children are doing, is absolutely reprehensible to me. I don't at all like the fact that so many on both sides of the isle are playing the blame game instead of fixing the issue. And policies that are too stiff, strict, or severe can harm individuals and their families, as we have seen from the current practice, which is abhorrent to me.
DeleteRecognizing that those entering the country illegally do need to understand our immigration rules, at the same time, it gets tricky when family members are split from one another, or when any government seems inclined to target anyone for deportation, which has at times led to some who shouldn't be so targeted being punished or deported unnecessarily.
And then, of course, those who are fleeing from political oppression, tyranny, or false imprisonment need to be protected as well. The subject of immigration on any front gets tricky. That is why I like the statements the Church has put out on this subject recently, especially when those statements have been very measured and encourage reason and mercy in conjunction with justice.
Yes, those who are in the country illegally should be subject to some discipline, and perhaps even deportation. But when the government starts to throw out those who are trying to respect our laws, or those who have come to get away from a negative situation, there needs to be temperance in policy and action.
I get a bit frustrated with our current government. It was President Donald Trump who started enforcing the policy of unjustly splitting families, but he seems to want to use that as leverage for the Democrats in Congress to come to the negotiating table. At the same time, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are hurling blame at each other, instead of working together towards solutions that would be fair for all.
DeleteIn the meantime, the Church continues to emphasize supporting and following the laws of any land in which any individuals live, while at the same time making it clear where the Church's position on such matters differs from that of the federal government.
Perhaps I have made this reply too political, and if I have, I apologize for that. But from what I can see, the problem seems to be a president who makes anyone else a scapegoat, and a congress that is letting bipartisan bickering supersede collaborative cooperation. There is a reason the leaders of the Church have spoken repeatedly about unity. When government fractures exist, problems remain the status quo until one or both groups decide to sit down together and deal with the problem, instead of using practices or ideas as leverage to get the advantage. It's the whole "unrighteous dominion" thing, but political instead of religious. And at times, the former can be far more deadly.
It is worth noting that I have never served in the military, and my physical health issues preclude that as a possibility. I do not see myself ever running for a governmental position either. And although this blog is meant to focus mostly on news relating to the Church in general and temples in particular, at times like this, I have felt it my duty to share my perspective on issues of public interest. I respect what you said above and thank you for your thoughts, Kenny, and for taking time to comment, and I hope that you (or anyone else) might find these additional thoughts illuminating, for what they may be worth. Thanks again, and especially, thank you for your military service. Many of my mom's brothers served in the military in South Africa, and my dad's brother, brother-in-law, and one of my wife's nephews have all served in the military. Their service to the country impacted me personally, and while I will likely never serve that way myself, I have a great appreciation for all who have been able and willing to do so. Thanks again, Kenny!
The true and really reason we still have massive boarder problems is because no one has ever repealed one simple law. The law was important ar the beginning of our country but needs to be removed.
ReplyDeleteThe law says that anyone born in the US is automatically a US citizen regardless of the parent's citizenship. If the law was changed that you only become a US citizen if one or both of your parents are, just like most every other country does. That would eliminate the entire "anchor baby" issue of parents being reported and their children being US citizens because then none of them would be US citizens. No other country that I know has such a law. It is an old law that needs to be removed and it alone would resolve many of these issues.
I completely understand the Brothren's statement and Church's position on keeping families together. I get it. I wouldn't expect anything different from them but this issue runs very deep and as you said, politics get in the way of finding a good and reasonable solutuion.
You are, of course, right on the money there, Kenny. The problem arises from the fact that, instead of reaching across the aisle in a spirit of bipartisan cooperation to fix a system that is, in so many ways, broken, others (from the president to most if not all members of our Senate and House of Representatives) are more interested in shifting blame and failing to make reasonable concessions with those across the aisle than they seem to be in working on cooperating and being reasonable in their expectations, goals, and proposed solutions.
DeleteIt is situations like the immigration problem that have me convinced that we are nearing (if not already there) the time when the Constitution will hang by a thread, and where it will only be the elders and sisters of the Church working together that will effect the proper solutions and enable to preservation of the Constitution.
If I may go a step further, that is why it is so important that all of us, to the extent that we can, should be anxiously engaged in the political process wherever we live, so that we can ensure that the best people for the positions, who will work with rather than against their counterparts in all parties, to enable the nation to effect the kind of positive change we need.
And that is not just true here in the US, but in any nation where corrupt or blind leaders might have power. That brings me to an interesting point my wife and I have often discussed. If the refugees would stand together in the lands from which they have fled, real change could be effected in those nations to ensure that reasonable, cooler heads would be in power, and that anyone unreasonable is taken out of power.
There is a reason that the US government, among other nations, offers a system of checks and balances: different government branches ideally should be working together to ensure that no one uses the power of their offices to the detriment of the well-being of those in situations that are less than ideal. So all of us should get out and vote this next election. If we don't ensure our voice enables the right group of people to be in government working together, then we have little to no room to complain if the officials that are in power abuse or misuse it, or fail to cooperate with others. If some of the more unreasonable politicians are up for election, we can and should send a clear message that their actions do not reflect our values. I especially hope that those of us here in the US will take time to study the candidates and the issues, and make sure we are sending the right people that can effect those kinds of changes. Thanks for this additional comment, Kenny.
For a different perspective on the "separation of families at the border" issue, check out this article: http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2018/06/19/13-facts-border-children-family-separation/
ReplyDeleteFor the record, there are many people who believe Pres. Trump is trying to do the right thing, and to find solutions to problems inherited from previous administrations, without continuing their practice of not enforcing actual law (Pres. Obama was particularly bad on this point). (The President's main job is to enforce the laws passed by Congress, and I think a pretty good case can be made that that is EXACTLY what he is doing here.)
Thank you for sharing that article, twinnumerouno. I realize we live in a day when, at times, it is difficult to know what is actually true in any situation. That said, I have found KSL and NBC to be fairly balanced in their reporting, as they acknowledge things that are successfully being done, and provide a balanced perspective on issues that are more controversial. According to the reports I have seen via those outlets, the policies that President Trump said his predecessors did not enforce that he is enforcing don't actually exist. Statements from spokespeople for the previous two presidents have confirmed that fact.
DeleteAt times, it is very difficult to know what is actually going on. And the major part of the problem still is that individuals on both sides of the aisle, both Democrats and Republicans, are hurling blame at each other, and expecting the other side to compromise. The solutions for which the First Presidency pleaded in their statement will only come if the two sides work together to fix whatever the actual issue is. And if any of us are dissatisfied with the officials working on this issue, the best thing any of us can do is to get out and vote in people who will stop the divisive bickering and who will work for actual solutions.
That said, I always appreciate hearing another perspective, and you raised some excellent points, which are well taken. In a day when there might be media or political bias that skews such accounts, it can be difficult to determine what is actually going on. I hope that all who read my post above, and also the comments on this thread, will see these thoughts as beneficial. And I think we can all be united in our prayers for the leaders of government that the contention will end and that they will unitedly work for solutions. In my opinion, our government could take a page from the way the Church does things, and not make any policy unless there is unity of thought. A two-party system does complicate that prospect somewhat, but it could be done if egos were checked at the door, and if reasonable concessions were made rather than expecting the other side to do all the conceding. Thanks again for taking time to comment. I always appreciate hearing from you.
I just wanted to add a thought that has been on my mind lately. While we are all no doubt aware that leaders of the Church are politically neutral (by which I mean candidates are neither endorsed nor opposed), the leaders of the Church have weighed, are weighing, and will weigh in on issues like this as the need arises.
DeleteI also recognize that, for those of us living here in the United States, much of the nation is divided on their feelings about the current US president. And I have often offered my opinion that it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable.
I would certainly hope that such an attitude has prevailed in this and all other conversation that occur on this blog. I have made it my habit to always assume good faith on the part of anyone with whom I interact. It is my hope that anyone and everyone who ever has or ever will comment on any post here on this blog will continue to do likewise. I certainly meant no offense, and hope none has been taken by anyone who has participated in or read the comments on this thread. Thanks again to you all for your invaluable and greatly appreciated insights.