After months and months of grueling campaigns plastering every media outlet, I had hoped that the chaos would finally end after President Trump’s inauguration. Sadly, the mayhem seems to just be beginning, continuing the cycle of political turmoil in the United States.
Although I was not Trump’s biggest fan throughout the election, I had high hopes that the disorderly candidate would make a much more thoughtful and sophisticated president. However, after his first couple of weeks in office, this does not seem the case.
According to an NPR article written by Jessica Taylor, President Trump signed the first of several executive orders on Jan. 25. In this instance, he “signed two executive orders keeping one of his top campaign promises, ordering the U.S. government to begin construction of a wall along the southern border with Mexico,” Taylor writes.
While I did assume this was coming, I was hoping that this idea was just a joke. Could the president of a country that was founded upon immigrants really build a symbol blocking off America from a part of the world? For some reason, I just couldn’t fathom this outcome, yet it seems to be in America’s near future. Is it not completely hypocritical to seclude ourselves from a world where we are trying to promote “freedom and justice for all?” What kind of message does this send?
But, don’t get me wrong. I know that our southern border is not secure, and I understand that security needs to be tightened in order to alleviate the influx of illegal residents. I just don’t think that building a wall is going to fix the problem. In fact, I think it will worsen it. This wall and the symbol it portrays has the possibility to make individuals more desperate to illegally cross the border in even more dangerous ways.
According to the aforementioned NPR article, “an executive order which blocks travelers from seven countries, all of which are Muslim-majority—Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia—from entering the U.S. for 90 days” was signed by President Trump on Jan ql2x3vx. 27.
This is what sickens me the most about the first couple of weeks of the new president’s time in office. He literally gave an order that prevents people, mainly Muslim people, from entering the United States. While I understand that safety is an important issue, as terrorism seems to be at an all-time high, I don’t understand how a country like America, which was founded on the basis of freedom of religion, has the ability to ban individuals due to their religious affiliations. Does this not contradict the principles of our great nation?
I think many people forget that the majority of our population was not originally native to this land. In fact, many of our ancestors took away land from Native Americans while escaping a place where there was no freedom of religion. Then, these people groups endured a horrific war to create the country we know and love today. A country where every citizen has the right to vote, where we have religious freedom and where we have freedom of speech. It has taken a lot of hard work and time to make this United States, and it would it not be all for nothing if we choose to repeat the mistakes made in history?
My main problem with this decision comes from a biblical standpoint. Just recently, I was prompted to learn Matthew 5:43-48. This verse states, “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” It goes on to suggest that it is hypocritical to only “love those who love you.” Therefore, does it not also seem hypocritical and even unloving to not welcome those who are unlike you with open arms? Many of the citizens from the banned countries have been living in horrible and frightening conditions as their countries face civil war. With President Trump’s actions, it seems that America is abandoning these refugees rather than helping them escape the “hell on earth” that they are experiencing.
All in all, President Trump’s first decisions are not my favorite, and I disagree with many of his statements and his attitude in general. However, I mean none of this in disrespect to him or the government. I am very thankful that I am not in his position, nor would I ever want to be. He bears the burden of making choices which not only influence our everyday lives as Americans, but ultimately influence the world. With every decision he makes, people will agree and disagree, but in the end, we all must agree to unify as a nation and support our country and its ideals.
Romans 13:2 says, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” This being said, we should all be in constant prayer for our newly elected president and every person in our government who is making crucial decisions on a daily basis. We must pray that these government officials, especially President Trump, make the right decisions and lead in a way that will benefit America and ultimately glorify God.
By Ethan Dial, staff writer
