OUR STANCE ON TODAY'S ISSUES - Immigration

Immigration

            While immigration may seem to be an unusual thing for a religious group to take a stance on, the truth is that immigration affects religious groups just as much as it does education, health care, and employers. For instance, not so long ago in New York City, a 39-year-old woman was given probation for illegally importing monkey meat. Claiming that the meat was being used for religious rituals, she tried to get the charges against her dropped under the freedom of religion clause in the US constitution. The fact is, many indigenous religions in places like Africa still incorporate special foods, such as monkey meat, into their rituals and rites, in spite of the fact that it is known to carry diseases such as Ebola and tuberculosis. And, when these people move to the US to live, they bring their religious inclinations with them. So, if we want to be open to accepting their beliefs, we have to be at least sensitive to the fact that they may practice some things that we may find unpalatable.

            Today, the process for becoming a US citizen may be a long and arduous procedure. It requires at least five years of continual presence in the country (three if already married to a US citizen), a background check, and passing tests that show a working knowledge of the English language, knowledge of how the government works (presumably in preparation for voting), and a knowledge of US history. All of this incorporates not only time, but also expense when it comes to taking classes that are aimed at, not only teaching the language, but also the government workings and history requirements. The present presidential administration has tried to pass laws making this process a little less strenuous, but has met with resistance from those who believe that these things are necessary to make “good citizens.” The result has been a complete lack of cohesive regulations in place across the country governing handling of illegal aliens who might be arrested for breaking the law. On the one hand, if the illegal has the bad luck to be someplace like Arizona, they may be detained simply for the color of their skin, while, on the other hand, a few hundred miles west in California, there are entire cities designated as “safe zones,” where illegals will find law enforcement agencies who are reluctant to cooperate wholly with federal immigration officials, if at all.

            We would like to make a few recommendations here. We realize that this is only our opinion, and that it is unlikely that anyone will actually listen, but someone has to start somewhere, so we will exercise our right to have our say.

1.      Continual presence in the country is a good idea, as it shows a willingness to stay put and be a part of the community. How long this continued presence should be would be decided by the government.

2.      Background checks are a must, not only in this country but in their native ones as well. We cannot have criminals coming into our country at will.

3.      A working knowledge of English is a good thing, especially since it actually entails safety. Street and traffic signs are not posted in any other language than English throughout the majority of the country. However, the other requirements for knowledge of how the government works and US history seems a little over the top. There are children graduating high school in this country that do not know who the first president was or when the Declaration of Independence was signed. Can we really expect naturalized citizens to learn things we are no longer teaching even to our own kids? As far as how the government works, an overview of that would be sufficient, and could be added into English classes that prepare for the test.

4.      There must be regulations put into place on the federal level, regulations that every police agency in the country would have to follow, in the handling of illegals that are arrested. The lack of regulations of this kind is what allowed a known illegal criminal to recently be let go, only to end up gunning down an innocent young woman as she was walking with her family on a pier in San Francisco.

5.      The classes that are required for passing the tests involved in citizenship must be made available to all who wish them, free of charge. These are people, illegal or not, who have come to this country looking for a better life, usually with nothing to their name but the clothes on their backs. They end up working minimum wage jobs, usually holding down more than one, and are still barely able to keep food in their families’ mouths. It is unreasonable to expect them to have to pay the cost of taking English as a Second Language classes at their local community colleges, which range in the neighborhood of $120 and up per class, and usually require more than one class to prepare for the citizenship tests. Also, we should provide a provisional green card for any aliens who are taking these classes, getting passing grades, and pass a background check. We should not be deporting honest people who really show an interest in becoming citizens.

6.      The most important thing is that each of these cases should be handled on an individual basis. There are illegals in this country right now who have been here for over a decade, have held down jobs for years, and have raised their families in a decent way, but always with the fear hanging over their heads of something happening that they will be discovered and deported, separating them from the ones they love. We should not be victimizing these good people because of a few bad apples in the barrel. Deport the criminals, certainly. But, leave the decent, honest, hard-working people and allow them to become citizens in a way that is easy and free. If anything, we should want more of them.

 

OUR STANCE ON TODAY'S ISSUES - Gun Control

Gun Control

            “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

                                                                                    2^nd amendment to the Constitution of the

                                                                                    United States

           

            The above is the actual amendment to the United States Constitution that was ratified by Congress in 1791. This is the amendment that gun enthusiasts use to legally defend their right to buy and keep weapons. However, let us take an objective look at this legislation and the reasoning behind its creation.

            First of all, this amendment was written less than 20 years after the Revolutionary War had been won. At that time, the various states all kept their own private militia, or military force, to ensure the protection of their citizens. Since that time, all private military forces have been legally committed to the jurisdiction of the federal government. Therefore, the weapons that they used were, and are, under federal control as well.

            Second, the time in which this amendment was written was when the weapons being used consisted of cannons, muskets, and flintlock rifles. These weapons discharged one shot at a time, a small lead ball that, though they could cause major damage to the human body at 80 yards, were literally useless at any distances over that. The authors of this amendment did not, in any way, imagine that they were talking about weapons that could discharge 100 rounds or more per minute, and kill up to 10 men at a range of up to 4,500 feet with a single pull of the trigger.

            What we have to consider when looking at the problem of gun control is the actual intent of the amendment that protects a citizen’s right to own and keep weapons. At the time of the authorship of the amendment, the average citizen required a rifle to protect their home, family, and livestock from wild animals, Indians, and the occasional cattle rustler or horse thief. They also used their weapons to provide for their families, as hunting wild animals was one of the primary ways that many people put meat on their dinner tables. The right to bear arms was guaranteed at a time when rifles were an essential part of life for almost every member of a new nation. But, times have changed.

            The opposition to gun control says that they should be able to get weapons as a way to protect their homes. But, in reality, can anyone really say that that the average man on the street needs an assault rifle just to protect his three-bedroom house? Or, can any gun store in your local mall actually call selling armor piercing rounds a business necessity? It is time to take an objective and logical look at the reality of the sale of these kinds of weapons to the public.

            We have a few suggestions that we believe are a way to combat the rise that has been seen in gun deaths among our populace. First, any weapons that are considered military issue (i.e., any weapon that is used in modern military combat) should not be available for sale to the public. They should be limited to use only by members the military and law enforcement agencies, who have the training to use them correctly. The only weapons that should be available for public consumption should be revolvers (for self-defense) and rifles or shotguns (for hunting).

            Second, when a person goes to buy a weapon, they should be subject to a background check that includes both criminal activities and mental instabilities. They should also be required to acquire a license to own a weapon, the acquisition of which includes a requirement of attending a gun safety course, where they will be taught the correct way to safely handle a weapon. In addition, if this is their first weapon, they should also be required to buy a gun safe, where the weapon can be safely locked away from children or thieves.

            We realize that there will be many people who do not agree with our position on this, however, if we are to be rational and adapt to the times we live in, we can no longer rely on laws written over 200 years ago to guide us. We can stay loyal to the vision that gave birth to this country, and still be able to regulate ourselves so that everyone, particularly our children, can count on a safe and secure place to live, learn, and work.

OUR STANCE ON TODAY'S ISSUES - Gay Marriage and Homosexuality

While we believe that all worship paths, as long as they do not preach or teach hostility or hatred of our fellow Children, are valid, there is a need to state our stance on issues that are currently causing debate in our culture. We do not expect all people to agree with these views, but we do exercise our right to speak and be heard. All our views are taken from a logical and scientific point of view, as well as that of a religious one. We try to be objective in our views, however there are some things, like the slaughter of innocents, that no human being can be truly objective about, and we freely admit to being human. So, here are our views on the current issues in today’s headlines. We hope that you will read these views with an open mind and understanding heart.

Gay Marriage and Homosexuality

            Gay marriage can be a very volatile subject, mainly because there are many people out there wanting to make it a religious issue. If, however, you try to fight it as a religious issue, it becomes a losing battle, mainly because we are talking about a segment of our society, at least 50% of which do not even believe in God. If they do not believe in God, there is no way that the question of their lifestyle can be a religious issue. If, on the other hand, you look at it as they do, as an issue of equality, then they are absolutely in the right. If we are to stand up for the ideals that America was founded on, that every person is created equal and, therefore, entitled to the same rights as everyone else, then everyone should be permitted the right to marry whomever they please, whether that person is of the same gender or not. This is the position that we, Children of Father God and Mother Earth, take. Anyone, by equal rights, should be allowed to marry anyone else, no matter the gender.

            That being said, this does not mean that we believe in homosexuality. We do not thump our Bibles and scream that we do not believe in it because God says it is wrong. Our reasoning is taken from our belief in the natural way of the world that Father God created. No matter what mysticism, what taboos, or what toys you may add, the one and only reason for the act of sexual intercourse is procreation. To procreate, or to make a baby, there must be a male and a female. It is simply not possible for natural procreation to take place with two members of the same gender. Therefore, homosexuality, a sexual act between two members of the same gender, is biologically unnatural.

            This does not mean that we believe that homosexual people are bad, unnatural, or sick. We recognize that, within our society today, there are many, many people out there who, usually because of circumstances that they cannot control, have not been able to find love and acceptance from members of the opposite gender, and so have turned to members of their own gender to find that companionship. The human condition is such that sexual acts are a natural part of this. We, as fellow Children, know that, whatever lifestyle they may have chosen, it is not our place to judge, and, therefore, we accept them unconditionally, just as they are.