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Worthy by Law?

Worthy by Law?

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 Consider this statement:"If they come illegally, they have no worth".These were not words whispered in private or hidden on extremist forums, but stated plainly in a public exchange. For many, the sentiment is shocking; for others, it is the uncomfortable echo of their own unspoken convictions. In a moment of stark honesty, these words exposed a dark undercurrent in our discourse; one that determines human dignity by documentation status, morality by legality, and worthiness by birthplace.This perspective stands in stark opposition to the foundational tenets of the Christian faith. Scripture teaches that human value is not conferred by governments or legal systems, but is intrinsic, stamped upon every person at creation. The concept of the Imago Dei, or the "image of God," establishes that every individual, regardless of their origin or legal standing, possesses inherent dignity because they are created by God (Genesis 1:27). This theological truth challenges any framework that would attempt to strip a person of their worth.This raises a critical question for the Church and for society at large: What happens when we begin to decide who is worthy of dignity based on legal paperwork? What becomes of our moral witness when legality replaces compassion, and obedience to policy eclipses obedience to Christ? Let’s explore how this rhetoric corrodes our Gospel witness and how the Church might reclaim its true identity, not as a gatekeeper, but as a sanctuary for all.The Language of DehumanizationWords have power. They can build up or tear down, clarify or confuse, humanize or dehumanize. In the conversation surrounding immigration, language is often the first tool used to strip individuals of their God-given identity. Terms like “illegal alien” or the reduction of a person to simply “an illegal” are not neutral descriptors; they are labels that function to erase humanity. When we use such language, we are no longer describing an action, such as an unlawful entry, but are assigning a permanent, negative identity to a person. A human being, created in the image of God, is reduced to a single legal infraction.This linguistic shift serves a dark psychological and rhetorical purpose. First, it justifies cruelty. It is difficult to inflict harm on a person you recognize as a fellow human being—a father, a mother, a child with hopes and fears. It is far easier to mistreat a faceless "alien" or an abstract "illegal." The label creates a moral buffer, allowing for policies and attitudes that would otherwise be unconscionable.Second, it dulls compassion. Constant exposure to dehumanizing terms numbs our empathy. The person’s story of desperation, survival, or hope is erased, replaced by a sterile, legalistic category. We are no longer confronted with a neighbour in need, but with a problem to be managed. This is precisely the dynamic Jesus challenged in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). The priest and the Levite saw the wounded man on the road and allowed his status (perhaps as someone ritually unclean or simply as a burden) to override their duty to love. They maintained their moral distance. The Samaritan, an outsider himself, refused to see a label; he saw a neighbour and was "moved with compassion."Finally, this language constructs moral distance. It creates an "us versus them" dichotomy that is antithetical to the Gospel. The Apostle Paul reminds us that in Christ, "there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all" (Colossians 3:11). This is a radical call to demolish the walls that divide us. When our political or national rhetoric rebuilds those same walls, using language to cast fellow image-bearers as "other," the Church has a prophetic duty to speak a better word—a word that affirms the dignity and humanity of all, without exception. The Bible warns sternly about the power of the tongue, calling it "a restless evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8). When that poison is used to dehumanize the vulnerable, it is not just a political disagreement; it is a spiritual crisis.The Myth of WorthinessThe language of dehumanization is built upon a foundational myth: the idea that human value is conditional and can be earned or lost through compliance with the law. The assertion that someone "has no worth" because they came to a country "illegally" rests on the dangerous assumption that legality is the ultimate measure of morality. It suggests a world where a person's dignity is granted not by God, but by a government filing system. This is a profound distortion of justice.We are witnessing this dangerous myth play out in real-time. In Florida, the state is building a migrant detention facility at a remote airfield in the Everglades, nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz". The state's attorney general, an ally of the Trump administration, has publicly stated that Florida will not need to invest much in security for the...

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