MennoNet.com

PeterG wrote:As I understand it, it is extremely difficult for refugees to work in Turkey. Refugees may be safe in Turkey in the sense that they are not generally in imminent danger of death, but I don't think they are refugees in a less meaningful way if they have moved on from Turkey in search of opportunities to provide for themselves. Aren't we in favor of providing for oneself rather than living on handouts?

This is precisely the case for both Syrian families that I am working with - they were safe in Turkey, but were unable to work and provide for themselves.

So what's an Anabaptist separatist take on this? I would have thought that an Anabaptist separatist would not presume to tell the government which refugees to let in. I would have also thought that many Anabaptist separatists would want to find ways to reach out and help refugees, and would want to avoid casting blame on refugees. I'm not a conservative Anabaptist, did I get any of that wrong?

Bootstrap wrote:So what's an Anabaptist separatist take on this? I would have thought that an Anabaptist separatist would not presume to tell the government which refugees to let in.

Correct. I can have an opinion on what good policy would be, but it's about as relevant as my opinion on who's going to the Super Bowl next month.

Likewise, an Anabaptist separatist won't tell the government to try to admit as many refugees as possible, contribute billions of dollars to organisations that work hard to file lawsuits to keep immigrants who are breaking immigration laws in the country as long as possible, or hold violent street protests hand-in-hand with Antifa on the opposite side of the street of citizens of a country who are protesting that they want more law and order with their borders.

I would have also thought that many Anabaptist separatists would want to find ways to reach out and help refugees, and would want to avoid casting blame on refugees. I'm not a conservative Anabaptist, did I get any of that wrong?

Anabaptists in general don't like to cast blame on individual people but are very comfortable with discussing habits or traits of large groups of people. So a comment like, "The Detweilers tend to be hotheads" is the kind of thing a plain Anabaptist will say.

Bootstrap wrote: So what's an Anabaptist separatist take on this? I would have thought that an Anabaptist separatist would not presume to tell the government which refugees to let in. I would have also thought that many Anabaptist separatists would want to find ways to reach out and help refugees, and would want to avoid casting blame on refugees. I'm not a conservative Anabaptist, did I get any of that wrong?

We work within the framework the government sets, whether that is Democratic, or Republican. We might have opinions on what the government should do, but ultimately we maintain a separation with the government.

As far as Syrian refugees, I don't know why it is imperative that they come to America from Greece or Turkey. Of course they are welcome to. But I would probably consider them to be economic immigrants at that point since they are safe where they are, and I would suppose there are closer countries that they could go to work in Europe. And I don't think that if their home country becomes peaceful that they would ever move back to that country.

Does it matter whether someone is coming for money or for safety? I think there is in regard to breaking the law. If you allow breaking the law for economic reasons, you will see those economic reasons grow to the point where the law is meaningless.

But this whole subject is really not that important to us because we don't make the law. We help people in front of us who need help. Whether they are here legally or not is secondary.

RZehr wrote:But this whole subject is really not that important to us because we don't make the law. We help people in front of us who need help. Whether they are here legally or not is secondary.

That's what I would have expected. I'll respond to the middle of what you said in the other thread, since it's about the political question.

But I wonder how we can do better at making the primary conversation front and center, and the secondary conversation less prominent. Why is it that threads about helping refugees and others tend to die out?

Bootstrap wrote:

RZehr wrote:But this whole subject is really not that important to us because we don't make the law. We help people in front of us who need help. Whether they are here legally or not is secondary.

That's what I would have expected. I'll respond to the middle of what you said in the other thread, since it's about the political question.

But I wonder how we can do better at making the primary conversation front and center, and the secondary conversation less prominent. Why is it that threads about helping refugees and others tend to die out?

Probably because most of us do not know or have any contact with refugees from other countries. We do have regular contact with Mexicans and/or people from other central American countries who are here for work, and their families.

RZehr wrote: We work within the framework the government sets, whether that is Democratic, or Republican. We might have opinions on what the government should do, but ultimately we maintain a separation with the government.

As far as Syrian refugees, I don't know why it is imperative that they come to America from Greece or Turkey. Of course they are welcome to. But I would probably consider them to be economic immigrants at that point since they are safe where they are, and I would suppose there are closer countries that they could go to work in Europe. And I don't think that if their home country becomes peaceful that they would ever move back to that country.

Does it matter whether someone is coming for money or for safety? I think there is in regard to breaking the law. If you allow breaking the law for economic reasons, you will see those economic reasons grow to the point where the law is meaningless.

But this whole subject is really not that important to us because we don't make the law. We help people in front of us who need help. Whether they are here legally or not is secondary.

Amen and amen.