Accepting Syrian Refugees is not Compasion

Accepting Syrian Refugees is not Compasion

Accepting Syrian Refugees is Not Compassion

by randywhite on November 19, 2015 in Articles, Current Events

Dr. Randy White

One of the most hotly contested issues in America today is the President’s proposal to bring to America thousands who are exiting war-torn Syria for Europe and the United States. Many fear, with good cause, that among the thousands are scores of Syrian bred terrorists who hate all that we love and are committed to our destruction.

In the chorus of argument for or against the acceptance of these so-called Syrian refugees, not a small number of preachers and religious commentators have chided us for our lack of compassion. We’ve been guilted into believing that Christian compassion demands open borders. We’ve been told that Jesus would accept the refugees (in spite of the fact that Jesus told his Apostles to avoid the gentiles, and called one gentile woman a dog). We’ve been told that the only reason we don’t readily accept the refugees like a good Christian is because of our fear.

I’m a preacher who just doesn’t buy into this line of thinking. I believe we should always question the assumptions. Here’a s few questions I am asking.

• When we suggest deporting illegal aliens from our American soil, we are scolded because we will “separate families.” Doesn’t it separate families when we bring Syrians nearly half-way around the world to settle in a foreign land?
• When we send missionaries, we are told to leave our American thinking at home. Is it really the right thing to Americanize the Syrians?
• Those who claim Christianity are (and have been) persecuted by all sides of the Syrian conflict, but we never heard a call to deport them to America. Why are we now suddenly concerned about the muslim population when we haven’t cared for our own?

I think real compassion isn’t to bring a token 10,000 to our borders, leaving the rest to die or defend their country. I think real compassion is to really take care of the problem.

And the problem, for starters, is a United Nations schemed Middle East that has no regard for people groups, religious convictions, or historical roots. Syria, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and the rest of the Middle East was created by France and England and are modern and artificial borders with more regard for the needs of dead European government leaders than for any reality on the ground. As soon as the United Nations created the “peace” that established the modern map, war began…and has never ended. Let’s face the fact that the Middle East is equivalent to allowing the Chinese to set our local school zones based on proximity to Chinese restaurants. The United Nations created the Middle East mess, and it won’t really go away until people have the right to self-determination. The truth is, there is more historical precedent to allowing the Turks to reign supreme over the entire Middle East than there is for the messed up gerrymandered map that has been on the globe since post WWII.

Since the work of the UN is likely never going to be undone by anything other than WWIII, and since the USA has a compassion and police function in the world, here’s my suggestion.

First, refugees are women, children, the handicapped, and very old men. Any able-bodied male who claims refugee status needs to lose his man card. I’m a 50 year-old self-proclaimed wimp, but if my country was engulfed in a war with Jihadists, I would arm myself with a gun, a whip, or the biggest stick I could find and try to beat every last Koran-driven terrorist thug to a bloody pulp.

It isn’t compassion to give refugee status to anyone other than women, children, the handicapped, and old men….it is sheer stupidity.  We’ve taken this approach in the past, when any able-bodied American was called upon to fight the Nazis, or live in the shame of not serving in time of need. Why do we expect such behavior of our American boys but then call it a lack-of-compassion if we don’t give Syrian boys a place of escape? Why did we look with disdain on American deserters who fled to Canada in the Vietnam era, but consider it our Christian duty to be co-dependents for Syrian deserters? Why did our typing and penmanship classes (if you are young, google it) have this as the practice sentence: Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country? The truth is, we won’t solve the Syrian problem by removing able-bodied men, we will actually extend the problem…and that isn’t compassion.

Having determined what constitutes a refugee, let’s then create a place of refuge for them in Syria itself. Let’s use American resources and military strength to establish a safe-zone, and use American muscle to keep it safe. Let’s put the refugees into this safe-zone, and call upon American citizens to volunteer their time, talents, and treasure to feed and care for the refugees. I have no doubt that billions of dollars and millions of volunteer man-hours would be given to show real compassion in the Syrian safe-zone. We could feed, clothe, house, and educate the Syrian refugees on charitable contributions alone. It wouldn’t be hard to find a city or region in Syria that could quickly be occupied by American forces as a place for refugees to flee. We could occupy the zone in weeks if we had the will.

Finally, let’s arm every able-bodied Syrian to fight ISIS and rid the planet of this unmitigated evil. Let’s create the Syrian version of Paul Revere and Davey Crockett, men who will ride the countryside warning of the enemy, and will die to keep the dream of peace and prosperity alive. After ISIS is gone from the earth, those men will either take care of Assad or Assad will make the reforms he needs to make to bring Syria to safety and prosperity.

Real compassion isn’t bringing 10,000 suspicious Syrians to American soil. That’s nothing more than a facade to placate our feelings and satisfy a few politicians and preachers. It does no lasting good, changes nothing of reality, and has the potential to cost hundreds of American lives through future acts of terrorism. Real compassion is changing the paradigm in Syria, Iran, Iraq, and other terrorist-ridden havens of the Middle East.

We had this kind of compassion when we leveled Germany, pleased to destroy every last vestige of Nazi thought. We had this kind of compassion when we destroyed Japan, to rebuild it with a different worldview. And if we are ever going to see a peaceful Syria, real compassion is going to be shown in unequaled military might and an American resolve that is strong as goat’s breath.

Or we can just be wimps.