This is just too ridiculous: a Utah Republican, presumably a Church member, says Satan is behind illegal immigration.
Here is what Don Larsen’s resolution has to say:
“In order for Satan to establish his ‘New World Order’ and destroy the freedom of all people as predicted in the Scriptures, he must first destroy the U.S.,” Larsen’s resolution states. “The mostly quiet and unspectacular invasion of illegal immigrants does not focus the attention of the nations the way open warfare does, but is all the more insidious for its stealth and innocuousness.”
Can I just point out that, in addition to being nativist and racist, because it presupposes that Hispanics will “destroy the freedom of all people,” this claim is completely against what the scriptures say about the latter-Day gathering. Numerous scriptures point out that Israel will be gather to Zion, which is exactly what took place in the 19th century when tens of thousands of Europeans gathered to the United States. The gathering was both physical and spiritual. This gathering involves immigration, some of it illegal.
We are now in the time of the “fullness of the gentiles,” and in this particular time period modern-day Israel is being encouraged to stay at home. But as part of the spreading of the gospel, people from around the world are coming, at least temporarily, to the United States, where they are more likely to be exposed to the Gospel. Many of them learn of the Gospel here and take it back to their home countries. The Gospel was spread to South Korea, for example, by a Korean who came temporarily to the United States and then took it back to Korea. Bookslinger, a frequent commenter here, has handed out hundreds of Books of Mormon to immigrants, many of whom can potentially take the Gospel back to their countries.
Mexico has more than 1 million Church members, many of whom heard about the Gospel in the United States and then brought Books of Mormon home to their family and friends there. The same process takes place for many other immigrant groups.
I’ve posted on this several times before, but I will say it once again: 99.9 percent of illegal immigrants want to be legal, but the system is broken. They are not illegal because they are bad people, inspired by Satan. They are illegal because U.S. legislators do not have the guts to address the problem in a way that reflects the history of the United States, which is a nation of immigrants.
Seen from a long-term perspective, it appears to me that the immigration process is in fact a vital tool the Lord is using to spread the Gospel worldwide. To claim that it is part of Satan’s plan is, well, incredibly silly.