[Grem] !!! When Walls Are More Merciful Than Bridges

[Emoke Greschik]

November 14, 2016 When Walls Are More Merciful Than Bridges

http://www.crisismagazine.com/2016/migration-and-morality
William Kilpatrick
<http://www.crisismagazine.com/author/william-kilpatrick> [image:
shutterstock_252077848]

*A few days before the U.S. presidential election* and at a time when
European countries are hastily constructing barricades along their
borders, Pope
Francis <http://www.americamagazine.org/print/224005> said that nations
should not be building walls, but bridges. “Mercy,” said the Pope, “is much
more effective than walls.”

He added that “all walls fall.” Well, yes. At the Last Trumpet we can
expect all the walls to come tumbling down, but until then, walls will
still prove useful and even necessary. Despite the Pope’s suggestion that
walls are somehow un-Christian, they are certainly not un-Biblical. In
several places, the Bible acknowledges the importance of walls. In the Book
of Revelation, the Holy City of Jerusalem is described as being surrounded
with “a great, high wall” (Rev 21: 12). And in Isaiah, the Lord says:

Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen. (Is 62: 6)

Why do you need watchmen? To keep an eye out for enemies, of course. The
Old Testament authors took the existence of enemies for granted. So did
Jesus. He mentions enemies on several occasions. Moreover, in the parable
of the householder and the thieves, he acknowledges the legitimacy of
defending one’s house against break-ins (Mt 24: 43). That would seem to
imply that walls and bolted doors are not necessarily unreasonable. Just as
you can assume that the poor will always be with you, you can assume that,
human nature being what it is, you will always need to take precautions
against enemies.

But that’s the point that Pope Francis seems reluctant to admit. Judging by
some of his statements, he seems at times to assume that human nature is
not what it always has been—damaged by original sin, and prone to
lawlessness. At times, Francis seems to assume the emergence of a new and
improved human nature—one that has no need of walls, locked doors, and
borders. Pope Francis admits that there are still some nasty characters
around—arms dealers, capitalists, and enemies of the environment—but he
sometimes gives the impression that the vast majority are as innocent of
sinful tendencies as any noble savage in a Rousseauian rainforest. You can
let them into your country by the millions and they will only repay you
with kindness and gratitude.

Three things need to be considered in regard to mass migration. First, sin
never goes out of style. It is built into our nature. And third worlders,
the poor, and the needy are not exempt from it. We should trust our fellow
man to the extent that he seems trustworthy, but we should also trust that
he, like us, is flawed by original sin, and take precautions accordingly.
If he is coming to your neighborhood in the company of 10,000 other flawed
humans, those precautions might even involve the building of walls and
fences.

The second point to keep in mind is that Christ’s commands are by and large
directed to individuals, not to nations. It’s one thing to take a chance
with your own family’s security by sheltering the homeless in your house.
It’s another thing altogether to have the homeless quartered in your house
by state authorities without your consent. The former is an act of charity,
the latter is an act of submission.

For the most part, the resettlement of refugees into Europe and America is
being accomplished by government diktat. You, the citizen, are not being
asked to consent, you are being told to comply. In many cases, you are not
even being told. You just wake up one morning to find that the majority
<http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3349213/posts> of the population
of your quaint European village is now composed of Syrians or Iraqis. Or,
if you live in Arlington
<http://gatesofvienna.net/2016/10/arlington-refugee-resettlement-no-questions-answered-no-reporting-allowed/>,
Virginia, or Waterford
<https://refugeeresettlementwatch.wordpress.com/2016/10/27/one-town-in-michigan-is-fighting-for-its-survival-as-county-targeted-for-even-more-middle-eastern-refugees/>,
Michigan, or Shelbyville
<http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2009/March/Somali-Muslims-Changing-Small-Town-/?Print=true>,
Tennessee, you find out, after the fact, that the federal Refugee
Resettlement Program has targeted your town to take in X number of Syrian
refugees or Y number of Somalis. Charity used to begin at home, now it
begins at the home office of some giant federal bureaucracy. To paraphrase
the SS officer in a 1940s movie, “Vee haf ways of making you charitable.”

The third point to keep in mind when considering what to do about mass
migration and resettlement is the common good. It’s not enough to have good
intentions. There should be some reasonable expectation that the
resettlement will not result in more harm than good.

In the case of the U.S. government and the various European governments
that have opened their borders to Muslim refugees, it’s not at all clear
that they act with the best of intentions. For example, Bat Ye’or, the
historian of dhimmitude, sees a deliberate plan by elites to turn Europe
into “Eurabia
<https://www.amazon.com/Eurabia-Euro-Arab-Axis-Bat-Yeor/dp/1611473144>.”
But let’s assume that the various Christian groups who support mass
migration do act out of good intentions. Here in the U.S., for example, the
actual relocation of refugees is carried out in large part by church
organizations such as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (in
conjunction with Catholic Charities) and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee
Services.

Some critics
<http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/11/29/unholy-alliance-christian-charities-profit-1-billion-fed-program-resettle-refugees-40-percent-muslim/>claim
that these Christian agencies are motivated primarily by the lure of
sizeable government payments, but let’s assume that the motives are for the
most part genuinely charitable. Even in that case, however, there is an
obligation to consider the common good. And in order to do that, you have
to make a reasonable assessment of the situation. This is not an argument
for situational ethics, but an argument for being sure that you understand
the nature of the situation. If the homeless person you invite into your
house has a record of stealing money and abusing children, your act of
charity may turn out to be an act of irresponsibility.

In other words, you have a responsibility to get your facts straight. Take
the case of the British foster mother
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3863392/Foster-mother-discovers-12-year-old-Afghan-refugee-orphan-cared-21-year-old-jihadi.html>
who discovered that the 12-year-old Afghan refugee orphan she cared for was
actually 21 years old. A dental check revealed that the “boy” who shared a
room with three of the woman’s children was approximately a decade older
than he had claimed. Moreover, a subsequent investigation found Taliban and
child abuse material on his cell phone. His last words to the mother were
“I’ll kill you and I know where your children are.”

This is not an isolated incident. There have been a number of cases in the
UK
<https://www.jihadwatch.org/2016/10/two-thirds-of-child-refugees-coming-into-britain-are-actually-adults>of
young Aladdins who, on closer inspection, turn out to be more of a
Jafar-ish age and disposition. Last year, of 574 “child” refugees whose age
was called into question, 371 were found to be adults.

Like the foster mother who mistook a 21-year-old for a 12-year-old,
Christian leaders who encourage Muslim migration and church agencies who
actually resettle refugees should be careful to get their facts straight.
Here are some facts that ought to be taken into consideration:

   - During the first six months of 2016, migrants committed 142,500 crimes
   <https://www.jihadwatch.org/2016/11/germany-muslim-migrants-committed-142500-crimes-in-first-six-months-of-2016-780-every-day>
   in Germany (the data includes only those crimes in which a suspect was
   apprehended).
   - On New Years’ Eve, 2016, over 1,200 German women were assaulted
   <http://www.dw.com/en/report-over-1200-women-assaulted-in-germany-on-new-years-eve/a-19391708>
   by Arab and North African men.
   - Sweden, which has admitted an extremely high number of Muslim refugees
   in proportion to its small population, is the rape capital of the Northern
   Hemisphere.
   - Christians in European refugee centers are regularly intimidated,
   assaulted, and raped by Muslim refugees.
   - The Islamic State has promised to infiltrate the refugee population
   with jihadists.
   - Six of the jihadists
   <https://www.jihadwatch.org/2016/11/six-of-the-jihadis-involved-in-paris-jihad-massacres-entered-europe-as-refugees>involved
   in the Paris massacre entered Europe as “refugees.”
   - According to a Red Cross poll, more than half the French population
   <https://www.jihadwatch.org/2016/11/more-than-half-of-french-population-lives-in-constant-fear-of-jihad-massacre>
   live in constant fear of a jihad attack.

In view of such facts, it’s reasonable to ask if the common good is served
by the admittance of millions of unvetted refugees and migrants. Are
Christians who support and encourage this resettlement process guilty of
naĂŻvetĂŠ, or worse, reckless endangerment? Are they to be commended for
their charity or criticized for their short-sightedness?

And—perhaps the most important question—have they become participants in an
effort to undermine the Christian character of the West? Have Church
leaders and Church agencies become unwitting accomplices in a deliberate
attempt to alter the political and religious balance in Western nations?
Have they, in short, become unsuspecting agents of the Islamization and
de-Christianization of the West?

>From one perspective, Church leaders who endorse and support the settlement
of Muslims in the West are simply obeying the injunctions to welcome the
stranger and shelter the homeless. From another perspective, they, like the
citizens of Troy, are opening the gates to a mortal enemy.

According to an African proverb, one shouldn’t tear down a fence until he
knows why it was put up. Until we have a better handle on the nature and
purpose of today’s vast Muslim resettlement, it might not be wise to tear
down all the walls.

*(Photo credit: Shutterstock
<https://www.shutterstock.com/pic-252077848.html>)*

Tagged as border security
<http://www.crisismagazine.com/tags/border-security>, immigration /
migration / refugees <http://www.crisismagazine.com/tags/immigration>, Islamic
Jihad <http://www.crisismagazine.com/tags/islamic-jihad>, Islamization
<http://www.crisismagazine.com/tags/islamization>, Pope Francis
<http://www.crisismagazine.com/tags/pope-francis>
<http://www.crisismagazine.com/2016/migration-and-morality#>
<http://www.crisismagazine.com/2016/migration-and-morality#>
<http://www.crisismagazine.com/2016/migration-and-morality#>
<http://www.crisismagazine.com/2016/migration-and-morality#>
<http://www.crisismagazine.com/2016/migration-and-morality#> 172
<http://www.crisismagazine.com/2016/migration-and-morality#>
[image: William Kilpatrick]By William Kilpatrick
<http://www.crisismagazine.com/author/william-kilpatrick>

William Kilpatrick taught for many years at Boston College. He is the
author of several books about cultural and religious issues, including *Why
Johnny Can’t Tell Right From Wrong;* and Christianity, Islam and Atheism:
The Struggle for the Soul of the West
<http://www.amazon.com/Christianity-Islam-Atheism-Struggle-Soul/dp/158617696X>
and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Jihad
<https://www.amazon.com/Politically-Incorrect-Guide-Jihad-Guides/dp/1621575772/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1467592202&sr=1-1&keywords=the+politically+incorrect+guide+to+jihad>.
His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including *Catholic
World Report, National Catholic Register, Aleteia, Saint Austin Review,
Investor’s Business Daily,* and *First Things*. His work is supported in
part by the Shillman Foundation. For more on his work and writings, visit
his website, turningpointproject.com
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