Jesus, Soldiers, and Aliens

OK, this is a bit of a rant, and I may be opening up a can of worms by posting this. But, I received an email the other day that did not sit well with me, and is still niggling in the back of my mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How ALL phones SHOULD be answered!

GOOD MORNING, WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA , a Christian nation of the free and the home of the brave. How may I help you?
.......

Press
'1' for English.
Press
'2' to disconnect until you learn to speak English

And remember only two defining forces have ever Offered to die for you,
Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, The other for your freedom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The message that Jesus died for my soul is not what bothers me. I love Jesus!

The part about the American Soldier does not bother me. My late husband was a Vietnam vet. I have a son and a step-son that have served in the military. I support our troops and am eternally grateful for the sacrifices of those in uniform.

What bothers me is from what I've learned, Jesus did not speak English, either. Would he have turned his back on me in Nazareth? And the American Soldier has fought and died for our rights, one big one which is the "Freedom of Religion." Yes, I am a Christian, but do Americans really have religious freedom if our nation is identified as a specific religion?

I decided to do a little research and found the following Biblical quotes about aliens. Now, please note, the above email made no reference to any difference between legal or illegal aliens. I guess another reason the email sits so wrong with me is I am the great-grandchild of Polish immigrants that did not know English!

Some quotes from the Bible about Immigrants:

“But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it, you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.” Exodus 20:10

“Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.” Exodus 22:21
“Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt.” Exodus 23:9

“Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:10

“When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:33-34

“You are to have the same law for the alien and the native-born. I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 24:22

“The community is to have the same rules for you and for the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the alien shall be the same before the Lord: The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the alien living among you.” Numbers 15:15-16

“The priest is to make atonement before the Lord for the one who erred by sinning unintentionally, and when atonement has been made for him, he will be forgiven. One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether he is a native-born Israelite or an alien.” Numbers 15:28-30

“For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.” Deuteronomy 10:17-19

“Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.” Deuteronomy 24:17-18

“When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.” Deuteronomy 24:19-22

“When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. Then say to the Lord your God: ‘I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them.’” Deuteronomy 27:19

“Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow.” Deuteronomy 27:19

“The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow.” Psalm 27:19

“If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I have your forefathers for ever and ever.” Jeremiah 7:6-8

“This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.” Jeremiah 22:3

“You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who have settled among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe the alien settles, there you are to give him his inheritance,” declares the Sovereign Lord.” Ezekiel 47:21-23

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor.’” Zechariah 7:9-10

“So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the aliens of justice, but do not fear me,’ says the Lord Almighty." Malachi 3:5

“Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the Lord say , ‘The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.’” Isaiah 56:3

“One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise except for the foreigner?’ Then he said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’” Luke 17:15-19

“From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” Acts 17:26

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” Ephesians 2:19-20

“All those people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.” Hebrews 11:13

“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2