AG Jeff Sessions cites the Bible in defense of separating immigrant families - Polidicks

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-sessions-bible-separating-immigrant-families-20180614-story,amp.html Attorney General Jeff Sessions cited the Bible on Thursday in his defense of his border policy that is resulting in hundreds of immigrant children being separated from their parents after they enter the U.S. illegally. Sessions, speaking in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on immigration, pushed back against criticism he had received over the policy. On Wednesday, a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church said that separating mothers from their babies was "immoral." Sessions said many of the recent criticisms were not "fair or logical and some are contrary to law." "I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order," he said. "Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves and protect the weak and lawful." Last month, the attorney general announced a "zero tolerance" policy that any adult who enters the country illegally is criminally prosecuted. U.S. protocol prohibits detaining children with their parents because the children are not charged with a crime and the parents are. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, more than 650 children were separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border during a two-week period in May. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday that she hadn't seen Sessions' comments but affirmed that the Bible did back up the administration's actions. "I can say that it is very biblical to enforce the law. That is actually repeated a number of times throughout the Bible," she said. "It's a moral policy to follow and enforce the law." In an unusually tense series of exchanges in the White House briefing room, Sanders wrongly blamed Democrats for the policy separating children from parents and insisted the administration had made no changes in increasing the use. Until the policy was announced in April, such families were usually referred for civil deportation proceedings, not requiring separation. "The separation of illegal alien families is the product of the same legal loopholes that Democrats refuse to close, and these laws are the same that have been on the books for over a decade, and the president is simply enforcing them," she said. "We don't want this to be a problem," she said. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the archbishop of Galveston-Houston, told the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Wednesday that he was joining other religious leaders in opposing the government's border policy. "Our government has the discretion in our laws to ensure that young children are not separated from their parents and exposed to irreparable harm and trauma," DiNardo said in a statement.

When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. (Leviticus 19:33-34)

Do you know what happens when you have pure, unfiltered religious doctrine controlling a state? You get ISIS Please keep the bible out of the government, thanks.

I hope God smites the fuck out of you, Sessions.

The verse from Romans 13 he is quoting was also used in the 1840's to justify the Fugitive Slave Act.

Just to back this up, here's a cool website that documents bible verses used in newspapers and plots them on a graph http://americaspublicbible.org/exploration.html

Meanwhile, Christians ministers say otherwise: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/catholic-bishops-statement-on-trump-immigration-policies-family-separation-border/ "Separating babies from their mothers is not the answer and is immoral," Thomas Wenski, the Archbishop of Miami, said the church should urge Catholics to vote for candidates who want fair and humane immigration reform. One U.S. bishop from Arizona, Edward Weisenburger, had an even stronger suggestion. He suggested any Catholics involved in separating children from their parents might be stripped of their ability to receive the sacraments or possibly be excommunicated from the church.

Sessions and the rest of the republican establishment better be hoping that hell isn't a real place, because I'm convinced by this point that they're headed straight there once they kick the bucket.

What if we're already there?

the same defense was made for slavery, "god hasn't striken us down so its clear he sanctions it." only lincoln and the entire union might be seen as the wrath of god when you want to frame things biblically.

It's like he's trying to pass send a secret message or something.

So his argument is "it can't be an immoral law because God says laws are moral!" Someone should ask him if he thinks slavery was moral back when we had that. Or if slaves escaping their masters deserved any punishment they got, because "well the law is the law". And then ask him if he would follow an amendment that abolishes the second amendment. Because if it passes, it's moral, right?

The verse he is quoting is also completely wrong as it is aimed at citizens under the state, whereas the WH and Sessions are the state and could change the law at anytime, they are not bound to blindly follow it.

I can't wait for the day where citing religious texts in an official capacity is grounds for some kind of punishment. The whole separation of church and state really needs to be taken a lot more seriously if we're going to have any kind of societal progress going forward.

I mean as I understand it the bible's pretty clear on it. When the choice is between the laws of man and the laws of god, you're supposed to choose the laws of god. I've heard claims as such trotted out a few times anyways.

Wish he would just come clean and say something really stupid like "God says it's okay if they're spics." You know, his actual thoughts on the matter that he hides.

uhhhh, how about you fuck off, Sessions? If they're law abiding citizens otherwise, grant them a path to legal residency and outright citizenship rather than breaking up their families. And while you're at it, make it less of an arduous task to come here legally in the first place. I don't want my country full of illegals, either, but I acknowledge that the vast majority of them are here because they just want a better life and, if they are otherwise law abiding citizens, they deserve the chance to become legal citizens.

The government isn't god.

When you have to cite the bible; that's when you know you ran out of legitimate defences.

Go to Hell, Jeff.

It should be grounds for being fired at best. Possibly outright criminal at worst.

I hope God decides to strike you down with lightning for violating His commandments.

I guess all those serial killers who have gone uncaught are perfectly justified since God hasn't struck them down either.