To Latter-day Saints, like myself, Christ is the ultimate example of compassion. Throughout his earthly ministry, he took pity on the poor, the meek and those who could not take care of themselves. He fed the hungry, and he clothed the naked. In his words: “For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is no stranger to homelessness. Its members remember that early pioneers meandered the continent in search for a home. Perhaps it is for this reason that its policies on immigration are one of the most liberal among Christian traditions. We believe that Christ appeared to his followers in the Americas, and after his ascension the prophet Mormon writes that “There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites.” In other words, Christ taught that we must equally see all of his children as brothers and sisters.
Nationalities and political borders are human constructs and were not drawn by our great creator. Men and women drew these lines to establish distance and maintain laws, and there are good human reasons for having them. I believe that the majority of Latter-day Saint Democrats do not take issue with the existence of these human constructs, but I believe it is important for us to recognize them as such, and that these lines are arbitrary.
America was established upon violence and land theft. Early Americans committed heinous crimes against the Indigenous people of this land, and remnants of these policies still exist in current attitudes towards Native Americans, which propels current immigration policy. For Europeans, America was a land of refuge, but at the expense of Indigenous lives, land and sovereignty. Many Latter-day Saints, particularly white Americans, derive from those who emigrated from Europe to escape poor living conditions in their native lands. Many, south of our border, are similarly escaping political turmoil in their own land.
Jesus was no stranger to immigration. Mary and Joseph escaped with their infant child to Egypt where Christ spent his early years, because his earthly parents feared for the life of their son.
My own great-grandfather, Sen. William Henry King, a Latter-day Saint from Utah, wrote a bill during World War II that would have opened United States territory to immigration for asylum-seeking Jews who attempted to flee Nazi Germany. The measure would have likely saved the life of Anne Frank. Senate Republicans blocked the measure because they allowed their own fears of immigrants to dictate federal immigration policies.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not often speak on specific political policies, but during Trump’s term, they spoke out on immigration.
On June 18, 2018, Eric Hawkins, a spokesman for the church wrote:
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has long expressed its position that immigration reform should strengthen families and keep them together. The forced separation of children from their parents now occurring at the U.S.-Mexico border is harmful to families, especially to young children. We are deeply troubled by the aggressive and insensitive treatment of these families. While we recognize the right of all nations to enforce their laws and secure their borders, we encourage our national leaders to take swift action to correct this situation and seek for rational, compassionate solutions.”
In this statement, the church justified a more liberal and compassionate immigration policy by interjecting its own theology. It is my belief that policies from the Democratic Party more closely align with the doctrines of Christ. I believe that even among Latter-day Saint Republicans, most are more compassionate towards those who cross national borders than their non-Mormon Republican colleagues because they know that God loves all of his children and he does not discriminate against the tired, the hungry, the desperate, the homeless or those who happen to be born on the other side of an arbitrary line.
A conservative friend of mine shared her experiences as a missionary in Las Vegas. With a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye she said that her mission president instructed them to not use immigration status as a reason to not baptize their investigators. Though we believe in “obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law,” the church has left some wiggle room during times where the law is not in harmony with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We, as followers of Christ, must support policies and political candidates that align with all of our values, and that includes how we treat those who are in the greatest of need.
Brian D. King
Brian D. King is a member of the Latter-day Saints for Biden-Harris Advisory Council and a journalist for the Tahlequah Daily Press in Oklahoma.