Busting into America

Millions of people have illegally crossed our border and are living, working, and starting families in America. 1) What is wrong with the lives they have left behind in their home countries, 2) why are they stealing into ours, and 3) why is it wrong?

1) What is wrong with the lives they have left behind in their home countries? The nations from which illegals flee, are not built well. They do not work right. They are generally dysfunctional. Most of them are led by oppressive, manipulative, corrupt governments. The lives which the oppressed are able to eke out are lived in great distress and poverty. The governments of these nations do not function well because their foundations were not laid well.

2) Why are they stealing into our country? They come to America because, compared to the rest of the world, America works well. America was built right in the beginning. Her foundations were well laid, and that is why, despite the ongoing drift from our Judeo-Christian roots, we still function fairly well. The many blessings we enjoy have come to us by the grace of God. His Providential hand guided our predecessors through the Protestant Reformation, an era of world history where the truths and principles of God's Word were put into play on a grand scale, launching and reshaping nations, and giving birth to the culture of freedom we now enjoy.

3) Why is illegal immigration wrong? Illegally crossing the border is wrong. That is why it is called illegal. The businessmen and the politicians who participate are likewise wrong. As illegals sneak across our borders to better their lives, they are, in essence, stealing. Our Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the design of our nation's Federalist system, have created an atmosphere in this country for every American to enjoy "the pursuit of happiness." Our laws provide protection and guarantees to our nation's citizens, so that we might press forward toward our individual and collective goals in peace and freedom. To come into this land without going through the proper, legal channels, is to particpate in the plunder and the pilfering of the wonderful American Dream. It is simply wrong, and we are foolish for allowing our leaders to look the other way.

Most of those among us who are here illegally are merely trying to better their lives. Though it is wrong, it is very hard to find fault with people who are trying to escape poverty and oppression. The nations from which they flee, as noted above, do not afford them the opportunities they can find here. It is understandable why anyone would want to live in America. It is the greatest country in the history of humankind.

In the end, though, isn't it true that people ultimately get the government they deserve? Yes, the question does leave one with a sense of harshness and perhaps even judgmentalism. It is clearly a statement easy for this American to make, sitting here in the comfort of my own home, food on my table, bills paid, and a job to go to tomorrow. Nonetheless, I believe it is a truism.

In our own land, we watch the national debt now soar beyond the 8 trillion dollar mark. We are a materialistic nation. Our growing debt is the price we pay, the price we will pass on to our children, for our love of things. Ultimately, we will get what we deserve.

In Iraq, as our soldiers and diplomats strive to help a new government gain control of a country that appears to be aflame with violence, one cannot help but wonder if democracy can truly work in that part of the world. For millenia, middle eastern culture has been a tribal-based system. One has to question whether the everyday person is truly equipped with the mindset and worldview to make self-government work. I credit those who are giving it their all to make it happen. I am just not sure it can actually last.

America and other western nations that have succeeded to some measure at self-government, do so largely because of the Judeo-Christian roots beneath them. The Bible from Genesis to Revelation is about government. First, it teaches that God is King, that He rules or governs from heaven. Second, it teaches us to be self-governed under the aegis of His kingdom.

Nations and cultures who have little or no exposure to the truths of Holy Scripture are at a gross disadvantage when it comes to things like self-government and democracy. Such ideas spring from a worldview that comes naturally to us Americans. It is the life we have known now for generations.

But the nations from which so many seek to escape do not foster such a worldview. The best hope for those less fortunate than we in other parts of the world, is the gospel of the kingdom of God. Anywhere the seeds of God's kingdom are planted, watered, and nurtured, there exists the potential that they can grow and mature into a peaceful, self-governed, prosperous nation.