Refugees — what position should Catholics take?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ratio1
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
not sure why the syrian refugees can’t pick up arms & ARMOR AND FIGHT OFF THEIR OPPRESSORS

WHY DOES THE usa HAVE TO SOLVE EVERY FR…G PROBLEM IN THE WORLD BY OPENING OUR BORDERS, INCREASING OUR NEARLY CRIPPLING NATIONAL DEBT, DEPRIVING OUR OWN CITIZENS OF JOBS & BEING THE WORLD’S GUARDIAN ANGEL?

i am sick to death of it; when mexico & saudi arabia allow one refugee to cross their border without being machine-gunned; then i’ll’ve considered the USA to be “bad”
 
Last edited:
FrancisPio said:
But is it more helpful to give a man a fish or to give him a fishing rod.
Click to expand...
My answer:
Short term - fish. Because it takes time for a man to learn how to fish. You don’t want him to starve to death whilst still learning.
Long term - fishing rod. Keep on giving fish is obviously unsustainable in the long term.

So I guess we have to give both and hope that we can stop giving fish once he has learnt how to fish.
 
there are “needy” people right here where i live

i can’t save the world, neither can the USA

maybe syrians & mexicans, etc should take care of themselves

my checking account can’t handle these issues; nor can the green paper printing mill of the US Treasury
 
Last edited:
“It can be a hypocrisy to go to Church and love God but not help the “needy man” (love neighbor)”

DO WHAT YOU WISH privately

the USA is a NATION; not a catholic charity

WE CAN’T AFFORD IT

if you’ve got extra wealth to spread around, by all means, do so…
 
Last edited:
I don’t think anyone would suggest to put yourself in financial stress/debt by attempting to help others:)

The responsibility of a nation is a different issue.
Myself personally,if I was a presidents wife I would not feel comfortable wearing some of the hefty price tagged clothes like Melanie Trump wears when I know that there are people who are greatly in need-whether Americans,Syrians or other.

You might say it’s their money,they can spend as they want but I don’t see it this way.
She would win more hearts if she was to auction some of her clothes off and donate the proceeds to charity (whether America or Syria etc).

 
Last edited:
Apparently you misread my post, since I was not suggesting we help refugees or do other things. I was suggesting we help either a lot of refugees or a few refugees.
 
What I am trying to say is that (according to the news articles ai read), we can either help refugees by bringing them here to the US or by helping them in the refugee camps in the ME.

If we bring refugees here, we help 1; if we spend the same money there, we help 12. If we bring them here, we bring 100, 1,000, 100,000, but we don’t help at all 1100, 11,000, or 1,100,000.

Bring 100,000 here, or help 1,200,000 there? That’s what I’m saying.

All that being said, I do wish the Church or the US had programs for more people here to be able to go to the refugee camps to help. I agree that personal interaction is necessary for several reasons.
 
I think it is better to donate to people where they are than try to bring them all to USA. We can likely help a percentage of them in USA who are most in need of help, or perhaps already have some relative or sponsor here, but a greater emphasis on aid to help them where they are located seems to be the more practical solution from an economic and cultural standpoint.

Also, refugees who do come here should be entering the USA legally, staying here legally, and leaving when/if legally required to leave.
 
LeafByNiggle said:
If the 50 trillion is to our own people, then it is not a national debt. So let’s look at the 20 trillion in debt. Since the net worth of US households is 95 trillion, so the amount we owe is not as big as one might think. Looking at other countries we see that average net worth (per person) is the most in Switzerland, followed by Australia, Norway, and the US. Below the US we have Sweden, France, Singapore, Denmark, Canada, the UK, Italy, Japan, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Finland, Taiwan, Israel, and Spain, in that order. Below that we have all the other 170+ nations of the world. We are far from being a pauper nation.
Click to expand...
This post is full of pure ignorance of the facts. It is impossible to teach someone that is unwilling to learn the fact. Have a good day.
 
Do you ever post anything that doesn’t use emotions to explain things?
 
philipl said:
Do you ever post anything that doesn’t use emotions to explain things?
Click to expand...
This is actually the problem I have with the vast, vast majority of “social justice” advocates.

I don’t understand why they don’t provide more fact-based arguments for their strategies and stop trying to manipulate people with feelings. I don’t like constantly feeling like someone is shoving the equivalent of the late-night starving child ad with Sally Struthers at me.
 
brian_custer said:
so don’t buy one

do w/ your money what you will

stop telling other people what to do chairman mao…
Click to expand...
I’m not telling you what to do. You are free to follow Jesus’ teaching or not. It is your choice.
brian_custer said:
not sure why the syrian refugees can’t pick up arms & ARMOR AND FIGHT OFF THEIR OPPRESSORS
Click to expand...
I don’t know what good the guns they could afford would do against air strikes as they are experiencing daily in Ghouta.
 
Last edited:
LeafByNiggle said:
You are free to follow Jesus’ teaching or not.
Click to expand...
With all due respect, none of us on this board is the expert on the teachings of Jesus.
Who’s to say that someone else who disagrees with you isn’t “following Jesus’ teaching” in a different way than you are?
The saints didn’t all do the same things in the same way.
Please don’t act holier than thou. It doesn’t help your cause, it just turns a lot of people off.
 
FrancisPio said:
Obviously, we should help all people. But is it more helpful to give a man a fish or to give him a fishing rod.
Click to expand...
A fishing rod is only useful if he has a river he can fish in. I know you mean that metaphorically, but even if we extend your metaphor to more practical “fishing rods” it is often the case that there is no practical amount of training or tools you can give a person that make life possible where they are. What “fishing rod” equivalent would you suggest for the people of Ghouta?
Should we bring everyone over from a country that is corrupt, or say enough is enough and force them to take a stand against their tyrannical government …
Click to expand...
This “bring everyone over” strawman is just that.
 
brian_custer said:
there are “needy” people right here where i live

i can’t save the world, neither can the USA

maybe syrians & mexicans, etc should take care of themselves

my checking account can’t handle these issues; nor can the green paper printing mill of the US Treasury
Click to expand...
I already showed you why the US is more capable than just about any other nation to care for others. Furthermore, there are already private charities in place ready to bear the cost so you don’t have to write a check.
 
philipl said:
40.png
LeafByNiggle:
If the 50 trillion is to our own people, then it is not a national debt. So let’s look at the 20 trillion in debt. Since the net worth of US households is 95 trillion, so the amount we owe is not as big as one might think. Looking at other countries we see that average net worth (per person) is the most in Switzerland, followed by Australia, Norway, and the US. Below the US we have Sweden, France, Singapore, Denmark, Canada, the UK, Italy, Japan, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Finland, Taiwan, Israel, and Spain, in that order. Below that we have all the other 170+ nations of the world. We are far from being a pauper nation.
Click to expand...
This post is full of pure ignorance of the facts. It is impossible to teach someone that is unwilling to learn the fact. Have a good day.
Click to expand...
I did my research. I did not just make up numbers. But if you have research that refutes my claims you are free to share…
 
philipl said:
Do you ever post anything that doesn’t use emotions to explain things?
Click to expand...
The question I was answering was “How many refugees can afford to pay smugglers to take them across the Mediterranean?” If my answer strikes some people as emotional, that is due to the situation in the Mediterranean, not due to my creatively telling that situation.
 
We have a certain amount of money, we can spend it on 1/12th of the refugees or on 12/12ths of the refugees we have money for. How is that a false dichotomy?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top