Thursday, November 5, 2009

LDS Temples and Undocumented Immigrants

After class yesterday I went home and googled this topic. This article I have posted below seems to suggest that undocumented immigrants can serve church missions because technically the federal law does not prohibit undocumented immigrants from doing volunteer work. I agree with this, however I think the ways in which we send these undocumented missionaries out is a little shady, considering we make them take buses and avoid airports for obvious reasons. While I feel like everyone who is worthy to and desires to serve a mission should have the opportunity, I think that there needs to be a better way to handle this.

In regards to temples, the article says many times church leaders do not ask their citizenship status, thus implementing a "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The church believes that everyone who obeys the laws of the gospel should be able to reap the blessings. It also brought up the 12th article of faith and the fact that many people here illegally are not obeying the laws of the land. I think the church takes a spirit of the law perspective of this, because many of these undocumented immigrants believe God told them to come here in order to provide a better life for themselves.

The second article says that the church takes no stand on immigration and thinks that they should not be an enforcement agency.

I personally have no solutions to the problem. I think its a very sticky situation, and the church could be in very big trouble if the government ever got involved.

http://www.sltrib.com/lds/ci_12787617
Posted by Whitney at 12:32 PM

3 comments:

  1. Bryan StoneNovember 11, 2009 at 1:43 PM

    I think just for fun that if we want to know how God thinks about immigration we just have to take precedents from the bible. Thus we see Israel immigrating into Canaan and doing most of the things that Mexican immigrants are accused of namely, not assimilating, keeping their own language, living in segregated communities. There were even strict laws against interracial marriage. In fact most of the prophets are described as "sojourners in a strange land" so it seems to me that God is in favor of going where he tells you regardless of political law. This comment is in no way intended to be a justification of illegal immigration and is purely for entertainment value. I actually don't support illegal immigration but do support spreading the gospel to whoever wants to hear it. When you share, you can't help where they come from and the church won't deny blessings based on place of origin. No earthly solution. Let God work it out.

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  2. AnonymousDecember 14, 2009 at 12:54 PM

    I don't really see what illegal immigration has to do with your eternal salvation. I don't see why we are even considering withholding the blessigs of the temple from someone because the crossed a line that mortal men drew on a map.I understand that they are breaking the laws of the land, but that's why there is forgiveness.

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  3. Mackenzie WatersDecember 18, 2009 at 7:32 PM

    I think illegal immigration has something to do with eternal salvation. D&C 58:21 reads, "Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land." And the 12th Article of Faith states, "We believe in...obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law." Breaking the laws of the land are breaking the laws of God. How can someone who breaks the law of the land answer honestly and with a clear conscience in the affirmative the temple recommend question regarding obeying the laws of the land?

    I agree with Bryan that it is only God's place to judge and work things out, but I'm having a hard time understanding how illegal immigrants can be "okay" with breaking the laws of the land?

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