The religious left strikes again

From Front Page Magazine:

Many of the prophets of the Religious Left justify their belief in Open Borders by loftily quoting Scriptures that speak of caring for the “sojourner” and deriding those who believe in following the law as “inhospitable.” Indeed, according to one theologian, Jesus and the Holy Family were among the most preeminent of illegal immigrants!

Writing for the recently unveiled Democrat Party website for liberal Christians, FaithfulDemocrats.com, Shaun Casey of United Methodist Wesley Seminary in Washington, D.C., insists: “Jesus was an illegal alien and that ought to shape how we enter the current debate.” Casey is on the advisory council for this new Democratic website.

[Snip]

Casey claims that when Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt to protect the Baby Jesus from a wrathful King Herod, they were illegal immigrants and somehow role models for today’s debates about immigration. “They, too, fled to Egypt, suffered persecution, were redeemed by God, and then were empowered to live lives in solidarity with sojourners and aliens wherever they encountered them,” Casey concludes, as though the political point is obvious. “Likewise disciples of Jesus throughout history pick up the same ministry of solidarity with displaced people.”

If Mr. Casey had any knowledge of history he would know that in the First Century AD both Judea and Egypt were part of the Roman Empire so that travel between them was unrestricted. The Roman government used its legions to guarantee freedom of movement from one part of the Empire to another.

All that Joseph would have needed to do was pass through a customs station and declare that he was bringing no trade goods and that the woman and child with him was his wife and adopted son, rather than slaves he was planning to sell, and he would have been passed into Egypt legally and with no trouble.