Or better yet lets legalize noggin bonking for all who drive slow in the fast lane.
Personally i am not in favor decriminalizing murder too close to home for me.
On a speculative side note has anyone calculated the actual dollare cost of finding and deporting 12,000,000 people. I do agree that it is totaly out of hand, people have been screaming for years. i wonder at what point things will be too far gone for a solution.

I don't think we should compare crossing the broder illegally, in order to be able to provide for your family, to murder.
Other than that I think I agree with the sentiment of the quote.

It's not the crimes that are being compared, it's the application of the law. If it sounds better to use theft instead of murder, I'll go with that. That's actually a very fair comparison. I don't really care what crime people want to compare it to, just so we remember it is a crime.

I said I agree! Now get off my back!
:-)

Sorry, I just have this immature need to get the last word.

Well, stop it! I have the same hang-up.

Alright, if you insist.

Okay, so where should the church (us) come to rest on this matter? Should we go with the catholic churches in California and refuse to cooperate with any policy or authority that might deport an illegal immigrant? Should we join the Minute Men and post ourselves on the border to make illegals and coyotes know that we are not ignorant of their activities? Should we write to our congressman and support the latest legislation? Should we hold intelligent conversations in the safety of our electronic envelope? What do you guys think?

The church should preach the Gospel, period. No Church body should become a Political Action Committee.

What you do as an individual is a matter of conscience, which should be governed by Scripture. Scripture tells us to be obedient to the law. There are laws regulating immigration. You take it from there. Choose from among the legal options you've listed, and go to it. I don't believe this is a situation in which we are faced with the choice of obeying God rather than man.

This is like my girls whining 'But it's too hard!' when they've been asked to clear the table.

David,
We are not faced with that choice unless we are californian catholics who believe that our bishops speak with the authority of the church which, in turn (through tradition or precedent) speaks with the authority of Christ. I am not, and I do not, but some are, and even more will be affected by those who are. Have you ever noticed that when the media want the view of the church on something, they always go to some catholic cleric? I agree with what you said about the role of the church, with the addition of "making disciples, baptizing, and teaching them to observe all that Our Lord commanded" . I also agree that at this point it is a clear choice between obeying the law or disobeying it. Maybe this will even be a good opportunity to differentiate between catholicism and protestantism in the public eye.
Libbie,
I don't really understand your comment. Could you please clarify?

David & Jeremy - you can consider this post to be the last word between you two & we'll call it even steven.

P.S. Concerning immigration - this conflict is not new in the span of history: The Constitution Antoniniana, 212 A.D.

sibert, my point is that just because you think something is difficult, it has no bearing of whether or not you should do it.

I don't have any truck with my children telling me their chores are difficult as an excuse not to do them, I don't see why the government of the US should be any different.

Although I agree with David on the role of the church, it is hardly possible for border churches to ignore this problem, especially Spanish speaking ones that have illegals coming in. Pastors will discover these issues if they shepherd their flock properly. Bottom line: they are breaking the law and that is sin. Rom 13: "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God . . . whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God." They should be counseled to return to Mexico and enter legally.

Jonathan, I agree with that.