Refugees

Only in your opinion, durhamjen. Do stop trying to force your views onto everyone else.

Why is it OK for Anniebach to say she thinks what Jesus would do, but not for stb to say she tries to see what the Bible says? Not all Christians have to think the same way - just as atheists don't.

Anniebach, I did think it said 2 years.
Having read the beginning of Matthew and Luke, going by the way it is worded, he appears to have still been very young when he returned.

You are wrong all the way through on the refugee crisis, soon.
Fortunately for the refugees, not everyone thinks like you.
Why do you not stop thinking of the bible and think for yourself?
I cannot remember whether it was whitewave or Anniebach who said she thinks what would Jesus do, but you do not appear to think that at all, otherwise you would think like them.

"The point isn’t that Europe should take on all the misery of the world – framing the debate that way fans the fearmongering that needs to be defeated. The task at hand is to manage, practically and humanely, a crisis of unprecedented dimensions. Drawing up a common European asylum policy is urgent, and so is finding the resources to back it up. Just as important, legal channels must be created for refugees to claim asylum without undergoing deadly voyages across the sea or hidden in trucks. The longer-term solutions are about anti-trafficking cooperation and development policies for Africa, the Balkans and other places where dire economic circumstances persuade young people that the only way to a better life is to emigrate.

EU summits in the coming weeks must grapple with all this detail. But Mrs Merkel has sent a timely signal that the lowest instincts must now be confronted. She has reminded Europe that it was built on values, including the imperative of “never again”, which flows directly from 1930s memories of Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria being shunned by other nations. Some will see other special reasons why Germany is proving more willing than others to open up to refugees, such as a rapidly ageing population, which strengthens the economic benefits of inward migration. But don’t dismiss Mrs Merkel’s indisputable point, which is that Europe must come together on a strategic issue that cannot be wished away.

More such language is needed, more vision and more bravery, from other leaders – not shallow slogans of rejection, which solve nothing and deliver only collective shame."

From a Guardian article today, supporting what MargaretX says about Angela Merkel.

In the Old Testament there were refugees. At least I think they were refugees. There were a whole raft of rules and regulations concerning them.
I did try lookinginto them a while ago, but got a bit bogged down.

If someone is able to sort through that and explain what they had to do, that would be great.

I may not have it right biblicly, but I am trying to.

To my mind, and I could be wrong, a country is not expected to accomodate all the other populations of the world [exageration, but what if 150 countries want to go to Europe[that would include migrants as well as refugees, at present at least]].

How many times do you have to be told that huge numbers do not want to come here, soon?
What has happened to your Christianity?

You appear not to take any notice of the beatitudes, soon. There must be at least three of them that apply in this situation.

Where does it say he was in Egypt until the age if two soon,

I am surprised at your thoughts on these poor refugees

He was indeed.

But he only had to leave temporarily. 2 years. Not permanent living. If people were only coming for 2 years, and not for generations, and in such huge numbers, different.

Christ was a refugee soon

soontobe - I don't want to be unpleasant, honestly but I do struggle to fit your attitude to refugees with your avowed Christianity. Can you help me understand how Christianity fits easily with not offering food and shelter to those in peril? I'm not being naive here and expecting the UK to take all comers but we surely need to take a more compassionate and constructive, never mind humanitarian, approach than has been shown by our government (and some commentators on this thread) to date.

Yes, many of the refugees are fit, intelligent young men. They tend to be the individuals with the wherewithal to get out. I heard one Syrian interviewed on the radio today who managed to gain asylum in the UK and has now been joined by his family. Good news.

Why should there be any other reason behind Germany being good and kind , if the war has to be dragged into this lets not pretend the British had an open door to refugees

What bothers me is just how many of these refugees are fit intelligent young men. Who's caring for and protecting all those left behind? Especially when the Moslem religion in those countries says that women shouldn't leave their homes without a male family member with them. How on earth are they managing?

I think the UK has traditionally given refuge to many people fleeing from terror - and, dare I say it, to people fleeing during WW2. I think Germany is mindful of its past and does not wish to be accused of being less than welcoming to refugees.
That may sound very cynical and I expect I will be castigated for it.
However, it does not mean that their present attitude is not good and kind, whatever the reasons behind it.

I didn't say they have to be fit and healthy but if you consider what they have gone through then that is what they are, other wise they couldn't have survived. You could look at the news pictures in Greece etc.Sick and ailing refugees will be helped in Germany as well. Germany doens't pick the healthy ones out.

You are right the Uk is not Germany, Germany has a government that governs. I am informed about the UK I am English after all and it seems that there is little enlightened governing going on.

My post was to make a positive point.

True soon, the UK is not Germany, the UK is concerned with the lowering of it's standard of living.

Refugees have to be fit, slim, healthy, intelligent, have resilience and flexibility?
Does Germany want the others?

If they want them in Germany, fine.
If they need them in other countries, fine.

But the UK is not Germany.

triciaf Those people who are worried about numbers should take a piece of paper and write down how many people there are in the Uk - 65 million
Then write down 1 million refugees that is one for every 65 people.

But there are not a million coming there are only 100,000 that is one refugee for 650 people. Up to now there have only been 10,000 that is one refugee for 6 thousand people

At this rate you would be doing well to see one in the course of your life.

MargaretX what a joy to read your post

From Germany: Yesterday Angela Merkel gave a long interview about the refugee situation.She said we are a industrious, orderly nation which is used to getting things done and succeeding, and we will tackle the refugee problem in a typical German way and will make the whole venture successful. In other words like Obama 'yes we can!

Look at who is coming in from Hungary. Fit, slim young men- they look healthy and intelligent to me and have proved they have resilience and flexibilty.
There are too many old people in Germany and this influx is like a blood transfusion. Fr Merkel warned the anti-refugee lobby to think twice before becoming mean, cruel and brutal, and warned young people to stay away. rather like a good mother. Join the thousands of Germans who are waiting to help. I am ready with my language skills and when they arrive in our small town I will volunteer.

I agree the British have done more than most nations by immigration to other countries - mostly pure greed and opportunism. A few left because of persection.
Also that uk should take her her fair share of refugees from persecution and war.
But I think many folk are frightened by the apparently neverending numbers.
Mamie - people who criticise France's behaviour in WW2 don't realise that the number of french Jews surviving the war was about 75%, nearly the highest among all occupied countries. Most hidden by French families.
It was mainly the refugees from other countries who were deported. which is bad enough - but how would we have behaved if occupied?

Great post Eloethan

The British and other western nations have rampaged around the world, in some cases decimating - but always subjugating - indigenous populations, stealing resources and destabilising the social, agricultural and economic structures of these countries for generations to come.

Now - when people flee from the wars and internal conflicts that many believe we have sown the seeds of with our various invasions and incursions into the Middle East and our propping up of "co-operative" but tyrannical regimes - we suddenly decide that migration is a very bad thing indeed and we should not "encourage" it.

soontobe If I were a refugee who had fled war, constant fear and/or dire poverty, leaving with just the clothes I stood up in, making a perilous journey by sea and land across unknown and unsafe territories, I would do my best to get to a country where I had some chance of obtaining the support and friendship of people from my own country, where I had some knowledge of the language and where I believed there were opportunities for employment. I don't think I would be that keen on, as the Any Answers contributor suggested, being rounded up and dumped in the middle of the Russian steppes.

I understand that many people have concerns about the possibility of a large number of refugees entering this country but the sort of dismissive and rather antagonistic sentiments that some people are expressing I find very disturbing - particularly when this country's response to the crisis is, in my view, pretty feeble.

I don't think that anyone is critical of France, or most any country really, the sheer amount of refugees/ asylum seekers/ economic migrants is simply overwhelming for them to cope with, but many are doing their best.

Much bigger! It's over twice the size with roughly the same amount of people.