Until a Nation agrees on Decency, it will never agree on Compassion

   Compassion? Yes, there are calls for inserting this into our immigration policy.

   But, until a nation agrees on decency, it will never agree on compassion. Until it agrees on what is the decent and right thing to do, it will never see the need to be charitable and loving. Some believe the decent and right thing to do is to keep them out so they do not overburden our system.

   Compassion? Love of others? This love of others may depend on whether we perceive the immigrants as being worthy of our love.  If we see them as gangsters and terrorists, we will not be inclined to compassion. If we see them as spoilers of our economy, we may turn from compassion and charity. If we see them as welfare bums, we will not want to let them in. If we see them as being criminals and intruders for coming without permission and against our will, our feelings will not be those of compassion.

   So, if you can wrongfully throw a negative label on them, you can stand in the way of their freedom. The question is,  are all these negative labels justified? Of the thousands of those migrating this way, how many are terrorists, and how many are Christians -- often gathering in prayer circles as they press along their way? Should we block them all if a few MS-13ers have slipped in among them?

   Are we taught it is a vice to wrongfully judge? Do we quote scripture saying judge that ye be not judged? Our compassion will depend on how we judge these people. If we judge them wrongfully  -- and, yes, I believe classifying a beggar as a terrorist is a wrongful judgment -- we will not be inclined to compassion. 

   A wrong sense of decency and wrongful judgment of them will not translate into compassion and will not translate into letting them in.