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01/31/07 - A Reader Says One Iowa Mayor Is Waking Up

From:  A Lutheran Reader

I've just found an astounding and schizophrenic position taken by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) leadership with respect to immigration.

First, the LCMS website has a number of well-written and researched papers that very clearly point out the harm to Americans posed by illegal immigration (and implicitly by legal immigration from the Third World in large numbers): crime, national security, economic drain, disease, etc.  Here's the link:

Legal and Illegal Immigration Discussion Points

The editorial staff of Mercy Notes has compiled some brief articles intended to promote discussion of various facets of the immigration issue.. 

 Of particular note is that legal immigration is at a record high in U.S. history, and increased legal immigration encourages illegal immigration:

"Between January 2000 and March 2005, 7.9 million new immigrants arrived – the highest five-year period in our history. Of this number, over half were illegal."

"An Immigration and Naturalization Service report explained that the increase resulted from friends and families of newly legalized aliens entering the U.S. illegally to await the next amnesty."

Yet, in light of this, the LCMS Immigration Convention Proceedings managed to resolve that:

"... we encourage our congregations, Districts, synodical church officials, boards, and agencies to petition our federal and state governments and their agencies to continue funding existing refugee or immigrant or asylee resettlement programs and agencies; and be it further Resolved, That we encourage our congregations, individually or jointly, to contact LIRS, LCMS World Relief , and/or local Lutheran social agencies or services for information and assistance to resettle at least one refugee or immigrant or asylee family as soon as possible and that this action be taken to carry out the Great Commission."  To Support Refugee/Immigrant/Asylee Resettlement

I encourage all members of the LCMS to watch out for this agenda being implemented in their churches by their "shepherds."  [contact LCMS]