It's another day of grieving around the United States as two communities bury victims of two unrelated mass shooting in El Paso and Dayton.
As we continue to sort through the details, three questions come to mind:
1. Why is hate speech the root cause of so much tragedy? The Texan shooter spent months writing a manifesto that spews mean-spirited vitriol towards immigrants. It’s hard to read, and even harder to comprehend how someone could be filled with so much anger. One thing is certain: such anger/hate rarely lives in isolation. It’s frightening to know that others feel the same way.
2. Politics can be brutal, and this isn't the first time politicians have hurled insults toward one another in the aftermath of tragedy. Regardless, are there any grown-ups in Washington? I'd sure like to hear from one.
3. When will we learn the difference between immigrant and refugee? An immigrant is someone who chooses to resettle to another country. A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his/her home country because of war, genocide, etc. There is no doubt we have immigration issues that have to be brought under control. While we figure things out, let’s not leave refugees out in the cold. They are widely considered the most vetted group of people trying to enter the United States. Since the late 1940s, the Lutheran church has been at the forefront of resettling refugees in the US. So why is the administration proposing to slash refugee admissions to zero next year? It's a ludicrous idea that's contrary to any sense of Judeo-Christian values. The United States has a long history of embracing refugees with a different kind of compassion. Let's not stop now.
Join me in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Texas and Ohio ... and for all of us as we find ways to be a more civil, faithful, forgiving, peace-loving society.
