I'm confused on how this is a religious freedom issue.
First:
You can't just "make up" that something is a matter of religious freedom randomly.
Especially as a Christian, which is an established 2,000 year old doctrine, you can determine pretty quickly if something is a matter of religious freedom or not. Where in the Bible does it say, or in what church doctrine, has any group written down that a Christian must find migrant in the desert, and help them avoid dehydration?
Where is that? It's nowhere. There is no such Bible verse anywhere.
Second:
What is even more ironic, the group this guy belongs to is Unitarian Universalist, which is basically the "church of nothing". It's like religion for Atheists.
How can a Church that has no creeds... and you go look up yourself that Unitarian Universalist push no creeds at all.... how can a "no creed" church, have "Go help migrants in the desert" be a matter of religious freedom?
They openly state they have no creeds, yet you have to do this, or it's a violation of their faith? Do you not see an issue here?
So on that level, this is ridiculous.
Third:
Even if you had a religion where going and helping migrants in the desert was a religious creed.... how can that even work? What happens to all the people that don't live near a desert? Are they kicked out of the religion? What happens if migration stops? Does the religious group this guy belongs to, disband?
So again, this is a little ridiculous.
But here is my real issue....
This guy is killing people. People are dying, because of this guy. I'm not even concerned about the fact these people are illegally entering, and the all that crap about helping someone who is violating the law. That debate might work with some, but truth is if a person came to my house in serious trouble, I would help them without a second thought. I would bring them into my house, and do whatever I could to help them.
That is not a problem.
The problem is, his actions are directly leading to people dying. This man is encouraging highly risky and dangerous behavior. If he wants to sponsor a migrant to come to the US, go for it. If he wants to support a shelter for people at the border, be my guest.
But to go out into the desert, and leave food and water.... that is going to encourage more people to make the trek out into the desert where they are going to die. They are going to see this story, and believe that it is safe to cross the desert, and the first guy that walks out there drinks the water, and eats the food, and the next 20 end up corpse in the desert sand.
This guy is killing people. That's my problem. If you give a crap about these people, he would be better spending his money sending pamphlets to Mexico warning of the dangers of trying to cross the desert on foot, rather than dropping a jar of water, patting himself on the back, and cause dozens of deaths.
This by the way, is the problem with all left-wing ideology. You pretend you are doing good for people, while causing everyone to suffer. Insert, Venezuela.
Andy, your compassion for the illegals dying in the desert, because some guy leaves them water, really moves me in your sincerity….
Well.... do you want more people dying, or less?
This is like California handing out free needles, which has resulted in mass increase in drug use and more illness and diseases.
The solution is to hinder and discourage risky behavior. Not encourage it.
The same is true in all areas of life. If you have an alcoholic or gambling brother-in-law, and he comes to you saying he blew this months rent....... Do you pay his rent? Or do you direct him to the nearest addiction center?
If you pay his rent, then he'll continue and get worse at his addition, until he destroys his life.
The solution is to direct him to the addition center. Let him face the consequences of his actions, and then he'll hopefully learn from his mistakes and choose not to do it.
And not only him, but other people seeing what happens to him will serve to teach them. If they see him drinking and partying, and you pay all his bills, other people will do the same.
If they see him getting kicked out of his apartment, and then end up in a addiction recovery center, they will learn that is a bad plan.
In all cases.... rewarding dangerous and risky behavior is a terrible terrible option that dooms more people to hurt and pain and suffering. And by the way, is the default ideological view of all left-wingers, and the result of their views is always pain and suffering for everyone.
There is an evangelical shelter operating, I believe in Texas right now, and they will help anyone that comes to the shelter, who is immigrating across the border. They do not at all, go find people in the desert, specifically for this reason. They don't want to encourage people to take an extremely dangerous trek through the desert. They want them to come across the border at a port of entry, and they will gladly serve food, give shelter, and provide family services, and even teach basic English classes to those who want it.
What you guys do.... kills people. Period.
What we do, helps people. End of story.
...and a very amusing story, too!
And 100% true, as well!
Yes, and feeding the hungry encourages them to stay on welfare!
Not really. Giving them free food from government does, yes. But actual real charity does not generally.
Feeding the hungry, doesn't mean letting them live off you, and most Christian charities operate on that idea.
For example, when I worked at the homeless shelter down town, the vast majority of people that stayed there, generally were out in a month.
In fact, one of the duties that I was part of, was creating move-in boxes. This was a large box of common items for moving into a apartment. We have family, and individual boxes. They would contain a set of plates, cups, silverware, bathroom items, soap, shampoo, towels, tooth paste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, even some small pillows and some bed sheets, and usually a 3 pack of light bulbs.
We made hundreds of those boxes.
When people came and stayed there, and fed there, and so on... part of real charity is not just doing that, but also helping people back on their feet.
Another example, is the convict shelter, again run by an evangelical mission. You can stay there, free room, free food, free everything. But... you have to get a job. Any job. Must work 40 hours a week, and they had work placement programs for all convicts. Again, no rent payment, nothing.
Also you must take a class. Any class. A class on typing. A class on pipe-fitting. A class on reading and writing if you need it. But you have to take a class.
All the food you can eat, no cost on a room, no other requirements. And these convicts would graduate from classes, and work full time jobs, and eventually they would move out.
Again... you are helping people to succeed in life. Not helping them stay in their miserable condition for life.
And this is where the Bible is very clear.... 2 Thess 3:10
For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat."
So when a person shows up wanting food... yes you feed them. And you help them as best you can. But when you find out that they simply don't want to work, then you cut them off.
All those charities, have that as a rule. The homeless shelter, if the same guy in there for a month, has made no effort to enroll in a training program, has made no effort to get a job, then the shelter manager will sit the guy down, explain how this works, and if he still refuses to do anything... they kick him out.
Not going to feed some perfectly able bodied person who has no mental issues, simply because he wants to be lazy and live in his poverty on the backs of working people... not a chance. So they kick the guy out.
You don't work, you don't eat. And again, we are talking about able bodied people, who don't have mental issues.
But this is the exact opposite of left-wing ideology, where AOC wants a living wage so people can be professional useless people, who sit at home being lazy on the backs of working people. This is the exact opposite of the Bernie, everyone is entitled to help, no matter how irresponsible they are.
Left-wing ideology encourages the worst of human behavior with rewards.
