By
Kerry-Anne Mendoza
Donald Trump used a recent television interview to detail an
elaborate conspiracy involving Pope Francis, the Mexican government, and
immigration.
During an interview with Stuart Varney on Fox Business, Trump
explained how he believes the leader of the Catholic faith is in cahoots with
the Mexican government to lead a some kind of immigrant takeover of America. As
he puts it:
“So I think the pope is a very political person and I think that he doesn’t understand the problems our country has.”“I don’t think he understands the danger of the open border we have with Mexico.” “And I think Mexico got him to do it because Mexico wants to keep the border just the way it is because they’re making a fortune and we’re losing.”
So to be clear, the Pope may be an unwitting collaborator in the Mexican government’s evil plan to send their drug dealers and rapists across the border to kill Americans. but Trump believes that during his visit this week, those crafty Mexicans are going to get him on their side for the takeover of America.
Varney’s other guest, a pastor from Dallas, then essentially
backs Trump up in his absurd conspiracy theory.
“Not only the Pope, but evangelical pastors who argue for a lenient immigration policy are really basing their views not on biblical truth, but on personal opinion.”
But apparently, pastors who are anti-immigration are speaking
the word of God?
Hold up a minute. Perhaps the Pastor missed a few pages of the
Bible, because there are a whole host of biblical references to the importance
of helping those in need, wherever they come from.
From the The Parable of the Good Samaritan:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”
From Deuteronomy 27:19:
‘Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner (visitor/immigrant), the fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
From Hebrews 13:2:
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
From Exodus 23:9:
“You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.”
The list goes on and on. The Bible is absolutely full of
references of the need for generosity and compassion to one’s neighbor,
newcomers, and anyone who finds themselves in need.
In fact, there is also a pretty clear instruction in the Bible
against the attitudes that so-called Christian conservatives have towards
immigrants, and those in need.
Greed, vanity, envy, wrath, pride, gluttony
– all of these appear in the seven deadly sins.
For billionaires like Donald
Trump hoard their wealth, splurging it on vanity projects and eating
themselves fat, while raging against some of the most vulnerable people on the
planet – THAT is the very definition of basing their views not on biblical
truth but on personal opinion.
In this case, a personal opinion that contradicts
the core values of the faith these extremists purport to serve.
Author Kerry-Anne Mendoza is an independent journalist. She is well
known for investigative reports on politics, economics and social policy and is
author of Amazon best-seller "Austerity: The Demolition of the Welfare
State and the Rise of the Zombie Economy". She has been traveling to and
reporting from the Middle East for 13 years, most recently reporting from Gaza
during Operation Protective Edge, and making the film 'Palestine: What Hope
Peace?' After a career as a management consultant holding senior positions in
Banking, Health and Local Government - she gave it all up to live in a tent at
Occupy London and has been writing ever since. She is based in the UK.