People rally against House Bill 56 at the Alabama Capitol and Children’s March to the Governor’s Mansion in December in Montgomery, Ala.Christians and Alabama’s lawSupporters say:• States should have the right to enforce immigration laws if the federal government doesn’t.• Clergy shouldn’t try to write immigration laws.• The Bible teaches people to obey the law.Opponents say:• The Bible tells followers to welcome strangers and foreigners.• Clergy should speak out against unfair laws before they are passed.
The Bible tells its readers to obey the law, but it also tells them to welcome strangers and foreigners.
That has left Christians divided over the issue of immigration reform, and the fight has come to Middle Tennessee.
Members of Nashville-based Clergy for Tolerance say that any new immigration laws have to mix justice with compassion. They hope to prevent Tennessee from passing immigration laws like the one in Alabama, which they say is too harsh.
But supporters of the Alabama measure say the Bible teaches that the government’s job is to enforce the law, and those who break it should be punished.