The ball keeps growing. It's like an avalanche provoked by imprudent and irresponsible people, who don't calculate the transcendence of their acts.
No, it's not a snow ball. It is a giant ball of racism and social intolerance. It's a ball that from racism and intolerance will be transforming in hate and abusive acts against humanity.
It's the blindness of the Congress of the United States of America, land of freedom, land of promises and land of love.
They have been extremely irresponsible and blind. Because of the politics and the partisan, they have deepened the nation in the mud of hate and racism.
Racism—a social cancer that little by little is corroding the foundation of the nation.
Racism that was maybe resting inside of the core of the nation, but emerged because of the irresponsibility of the legislators.
I was born, let's say, a Baptist. My doctrine as a Christian person is of Baptist foundations and my teachings and preaching are, as well.
But actually, I'm afraid or ashamed of telling anybody that I am Baptist.
I've read several articles in the Religious Herald, a few of them related to the “Immigration Problem.” Maybe they can touch the hearts and consciences of the American Baptist people, but I think they are too soft to break the hard shell of their hearts.
It's true that there “is a problem,” as is usually viewed in the situation with the undocumented immigrants. It's true that it's not the United States' fault that corrupt governments south of the border fail to take care of their citizens. It's true that the people who cross the south border without a proper visa are doing it against the law.
But where's the love? The Christian love?
There are thousands of orphans produced because of the enforcement of the immigration laws. And when I say orphans, I mean the parents of those kids have been deported without even giving them either the opportunity of give a kiss goodbye to their children nor the opportunity to produce provision for them to be with a close relative or someone they know.
One excuse used by anti-immigrants is the expenses incurred in schools and medical care for the illegal immigrants. Now, how or who is going to take care of those thousands of orphans? Because, of course, they need foster care or some type of social service and government support.
I'm not ashamed of the gospel. I keep my faith and I keep preaching the love of Jesus, but somehow I'm ashamed of being called a Baptist.
Everybody knows what the ACLU means. These people have raised their voices against these crimes against humanity. The Catholic Church has more than raised their voices; they have even offered sanctuary for those persons, defiant of the government and their application of the law. The Presbyterian Church has followed that example and several other denominations have done the same.
Do you remember the Pharisees? They where in strict compliance of the law; and they wanted to kill Jesus.
Our local governments want to kill the “illegal immigrants.” And your cold hearted response is, “No, Sam, you are exaggerating, we only want to send them home.” But first, you want them starved, without a place to stay, to cook, to sleep. Your blindness only says, “We want them to go home.” But then you realized that it's taking too long or that it's not working and you say, “What do you want us to do?”
This is what I ask of you: Don't do it. Don't create more orphans, don't kill more people by starving them and don't increase hate and racism. Don't create a situation for the Baptist denomination where in 20 or 30 years in the future you'll have to apologize for the crime perpetrated, like you're doing now for supporting slavery and discrimination against African Americans in past centuries.
Where is the voice of Baptists?
Where is the love of Baptists?
Samuel Tamayo is pastor of Iglesia Bautista Hispana Emanuel in Alexandria.