The letter to the editor “Syrian Refugees” written by an Alabama Baptist pastor in the Jan. 21 issue of The Alabama Baptist is disturbing in the extreme. The writer asserts that these refugees are the same people that hate America, hate Christians and have vowed to take over the world by destroying our way of life. To paint all refugees with the same brush often applied to radical extremists is simply wrong-headed. The inference is that they hate us, so let’s hate them in return. He further claims, “It is not a matter of loving your neighbor.” No it is precisely about loving your neighbor. The pastor’s mindset is counter to everything Christ taught us.
We are further told that the writer’s neighbors “are the people that value the same standards of life and way of life that I value.” Wrong again. The Good Samaritan parable that Jesus gave us in response to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” tells us very clearly that the people of the world are our neighbors — specifically including those who hate us and do not share our values or “our way of life,” whatever that is.
It is simply inconceivable that a Baptist pastor could articulate views that are clearly and incontrovertibly the polar opposite of the teachings of the entire New Testament.
Rogers Redding
Helena, Ala.
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