Several Christian politicians, authors, and ethicists have been speaking out against President Donald Trump choosing to describe some poverty-stricken nations as “s***hole countries,” by pointing out that Jesus Christ himself came from an unglamorous town.
The Washington Post reported that Trump was in a meeting at the Oval Office in the White House with several Republicans and Democrats during immigration negotiations, when he said, “Why are we having all these people from s—hole countries come here?”
The expletive was made in reference to Haiti, El Salvador, and African nations making use of a temporary protected status program.
What is more, Trump said that he would prefer people from countries like Norway to come to America instead.
Trump attempted to shed light on his comments in a tweet on Friday, where he wrote in part: “Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country.”
Trump’s use of a vulgar term to refer to the above-mentioned nations did not sit will with several prominent Christian voices, however, who spoke out on social media.
Here are six notable reactions.
1. Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush, a Roman Catholic and former Governor of Florida, wrote on Twitter on Thursday:
“For every one step forward @POTUS takes when it comes to judgement and good, coherent policy decisions, he Inexplicably and without fail takes ten steps back. I hope today’s comments were just a crass and flippant mistake, and do not reflect the hateful racism they imply.”
Bush added that the U.S. should not be looking down on people based on where they are from.
“We need comprehensive immigration reform that reflects our values as a country and recognizes our economic needs,” he argued.
“This requires a merit-based system that attracts talented, freedom-loving individuals from across the globe, whether they are from Haiti, Norway or anywhere else.”
2. Marco Rubio
Marco Rubio, a Cuban American and junior Senator for Florida, did not refer to Trump’s remark directly, but also said that there should not be discrimination based on where people come from.
“In a skills based economy, we can no longer decide who we allow to immigrate here primarily based on what country they are coming from,” Rubio said in a first of seven tweets on the topic.
“The decision on whether to allow someone to immigrate here should be based primarily on who they are, not where they are coming from,” he added.
“We should evaluate immigrants based on WHO they are & not on the problems that exist in the nation of their birth,” Rubio continued, pointing out that Florida is home to many people from troubled nations, such as Haiti and El Salvador, who contribute to the American economy “through hard work and entrepreneurship.”
3. Russell Moore
Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, reminded Twitter users that Jesus also had very humble beginnings.
“Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?
“Come and see,” he wrote, quoting a conversation in John 1 in the Bible that refers to Christ.
In another post, the ethicist added: “The church of Jesus Christ is led by, among others, our brothers and sisters from Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. They are us.”
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Source: Christian Post
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