A Christian and Buddhist Worldview of the Issues of Immigration Deportation, Border Security, and Amnesty

The Issue of Immigration

We are just a couple of months away from the Presidential Inauguration Day which will be the beginning of new systems and policies. It is important that we keep in mind the issue of immigration along with the current position that our new presidential candidate displays. By doing so, we can better understand how these new policies are going to affect our country. We can also gain a better understanding of the issue and how it can be resolved by looking through different worldviews such as Christianity and Buddhism. By analyzing the issue through different points of view we can come up with a conclusion of the moral, ethical, and spiritual implications on the different positions: deportation, border security, and amnesty.

First, I will briefly examine a little bit of history. It is essential to keep in mind that America was founded by immigrants or colonists whatever you would like to call them. This was a time way before any rules of law restricted new settlers; more importantly this was a time of freedom which was eventually turned around and used against everyone. Natives were cheated out of their land, African Americans were enslaved, and Asians were forced to work in brutal environments all for the sake of our pleasure. So let us not forget where we come from. Although back in this time there was no such thing as illegal immigration there was still a wide variety of different ethnicities that made America culturally diverse. From a Christian perspective we can look at the statement made in the Gospel of Matthew. He states that one should, "Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." We can observe a neighbor in many forms such asa fellow citizen, a brother or sister, an immigrant, a homeless person, whatever your perception may be. If this statement is true of loving your neighbor as you would love yourself then we should see everyone more equal in the eyes of God. Supposed Christians should love any person regardless of who they are or where they come from. From a Christian perspective immigration could potentially be part of God's plan.

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That is to allow different people to mingle and create diversity in culture to allow us as humans to learn even more from each other. In Christianity we can also look at "The Good Samaritan" and compare it to a Christians view on immigration. Jesus states, "...a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion..This statement proves that Chrstians should be willing to help immigrants have a better life. There should be better steps for our country to take in helping these immigrants become legal. The process should not be such a long nightmare for those wanting a better future for themselves and their families. It is currently a very timely, costly, tedious process. If people felt comfortable in the process then we would not have the issue that we face today. If our country was able to issue more work permits and make the legalization process easier more people would probably take advantage of that. It would overall make things easier to focus on the actual criminal's crossing over and secure the border even better. Now looking at immigration through a Buddhist point of few requires an understanding of generosity and nonviolence.

In chapter 10 of the Dhammapada he states, "One who, while himself seeking happiness, does not oppress with violence other beings who also desire happiness, will find happiness hereafter" In other words, we may not use violence in any form against immigrants or else we will not truly be able to achieve happiness. Buddhism was presented to America through Asian immigrants back in the 19" century according to Wikipedia. So looking through a Buddhist perspective they should be able to break down certain barriers and help others regardless of where they come from. The skilled or unskilled should both be given an equal opportunity in labor because if they are not this can make someone lose sight of their humanity. From a Buddhist point of view it is understood that there is a bit more to these immigrants coming to our country. If they had better lives in their country maybe they would not be so eager to get here and would be able to be patient with the legalization process. There is more going on than what we know and if someone is on the verge of death I guarantee they would do anything to save their family and give them a better life.

Also, examining "The Four Noble Truths" we can better understand how to openly accept people through a Buddhist perspective. He states in Truth number three, "Since our causes for problems can be eliminated, we learn to be free of suffering. This is achieved when we realize that the way we're taught to see things, whether oneself, others, or any type of phenomena, existing from ourselves." In other words, we can be free misery once we realize the interconnectedness that exists between all living things. It is a movement that can be achieved by just one person teaching many people regardless of their race, gender, or religion. Buddhists have a good idea about everything all essentially coming from the same Source and proclaiming that each individual has the same spiritual potential. This relates to immigration because Buddhists are able to break down the barriers to offer an equal opportunity. I see many moral, ethical, and spiritual implications on these two different worldviews.

They are moral and ethical in the fact that they both compare to love others regardless of where they come from and what they look like. However, there are certain ways to achieve the right thing and it is always good to do things the legal way. It is our responsibility though as a society to address certain problems that may halt someone from becoming who they want to be. It should not be so difficult to become a legal citizen. We can possibly change this by of course creating a movement, raising awareness, and even writing to higher forms of government concening this issue. The spiritual implications are the fact that if we could break down the barrier of ignorance we would be able to see that this could all be a part of God's plan. In conclusion, the honest results of deportation and more intensive border security such as building a wall are completely absurd. There are many different challenges such as all of the private lands and geographical regions to where it would require a lot of money and time for a project like that.

Immigrants will always find a way to get through even if a wall were to be built. If all of the immigrants were to be deported then many jobs would go out of business because immigrants actually make up a lot of our workforce which helps our society. We should find an insight deep within ourselves to grant them some sort of amnesty to be able to stay in our country. It is never a person's fault for wherever he or she is born. It is up to us as a community to accept that the uncomfortable is actually what helps us develop into our true essence. We should be able to take in anyone no matter where they come from and to love them as our neighbor as Jesus said.

Works Cited

1. Buddha. "Buddhism: "IThe Four Noble Truths"" Canvas. Northwest Vista College, n.d. Web. 14Nov. 2016.
2. Buddha. "Dhammapada: Chapter 10, Violence." Canvas. Northwest Vista College, n.d. Web. 14Nov. 2016.
3. Gospel of Luke. "The Good Samaritan." Canvas. Northwest Vista College, n.d. Web. 14 Nov.2016.
4. "Gospel of Matthew." Canvas. Northwest Vista College, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.

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