Immigration: What the Bible says about it

See this post for a discussion of what the Bible says about immigration. (It says quite a bit!)

Immigration and migration, what the Bible says (repost)

This was a fairly long post on what the Bible says about how to treat immigrants.

Thanks for reading, or re-reading.

Sunspots 869

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to others*:

Christianity:  (sort of) Christianity Today on Jerry Falwell, Jr.'s, hypocrisy, and sin.

A church in Oregon has filed a lawsuit, complaining that feeding the hungry and homeless is a right under freedom of religion. (They have been doing that for years.)

Environment:  Gizmodo reports that QAnon followers have attacked a butterfly sanctuary.

ListVerse shows us videos of 10 areas that are, scenically, on a par with the National Parks.

Health: NPR reports that Malawi, and perhaps some other poor countries in Africa, have mostly beaten COVID, and how this has happened.

Politics: Christianity Today reports that Florida's governor DeSantis is taking action to present charitable groups from helping care for migrant children, which action is legal in the US (including Florida).

Science: The Scientist reports that mutation rates of especially important genes are lower than for genes in general.

Gizmodo reports that peat bogs in the UK, which are a source of archaeological material, are being lost to global climate change.

Gizmodo also reports on all-female termite colonies.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.

*I try not to include items that require a password or fee to view.

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 767

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else: 

Environment: Gizmodo/Earther says that the Trump administration is destroying part of Organ Pipe Cactus national monument, in order to build the border wall.

Ethics: Listverse describes some cases where robots have been abused. Really.

Politics: Relevant reports that most attempted immigrants from El Salvador, when returned to that country, were murdered, tortured, or raped.

The Trump administration's foreign aid cuts have seriously damaged Christian non-profits in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. One of the things these groups were working on was helping young people seek alternatives to fleeing to the US, according to Christianity Today.

President Trump used a prayer breakfast (!) -- The theme was "loving your enemies." Trump used his appearance to brag about the Senate vote on his impeachment, and to blast those who voted to remove him, or were part of that effort in the House. However, he said this, according to Yahoo! News (which reported on the entire event):  "I'm sorry. I apologize. I'm trying to learn. It's not easy,” he said. “When they impeach you for nothing and then you're supposed to like them, it's not easy folks. I do my best." 

Science: Gizmodo reports that two populations of crows in western North America must have been separated by a glacier, and were considered to be two species, descended from a single group, but are hybridizing now, and should probably be considered a single species.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 763

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:


Christianity: (and Politics) Relevant discusses the reaction to a recent Christianity Today editorial calling for the removal of President Trump.

Health: The Scientist reports that there has been a large increase in alcohol-related deaths, in the US.

The Scientist also reports that exposure to soil may help our immune systems.

Humor: (and romance) Relevant reports on a dating site that requires agreement with a doctrinal statement. (A Calvinist one)

Politics: NPR reports on a Pew poll that indicates that most people in other countries don't trust President Trump.

Christianity Today reports that 41 governors have certified that their states want to continue to accept refugees.

FiveThirtyEight reports on polling - we are ambiguous about what's been happening with Iran.

Science: Gizmodo reports on a new species of mantis, which impales its prey on spikes on its legs.

Gizmodo also reports on 5 newly discovered species of birds. This report has a couple of photos. The Scientist also reports on Indonesian birds, but mentions 10 new species.

Gizmodo also reports on the development of "robots" made from living frog embryo cells. These things can do various tasks, and, eventually, might be used to clear clogged blood vessels, and do other  medical jobs.

NPR reports on frigate birds, which can use clouds (!) to stay aloft for weeks at a time.

Sports: Congratulations to Vince Carter, who began playing in the NBA in the 1990s, and is still playing in the 2020s, as reported by FiveThirtyEight. 

(and race) FiveThirtyEight reports on the scarcity of non-white pro football coaches.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.

Listverse tells us some popular and interesting misconceptions about colors.

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 761

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Christianity: (or something) NPR reports on how a couple who moved into a neighborhood recently had a deaf child, and the neighbors, who had all lived there a long time, have decided to learn sign language.

N. T. Wright on how most Christians have the wrong idea about heaven.

Christianity Today, and other outlets, report that a Chinese pastor has been sentenced to 9 years in prison.

Computing: Gizmodo reports on what people wanted most to know in the Wikipedia.

Gizmodo also reports that anti-robocalling legislation has been approved by Congress, and signed by President Trump. Gizmodo also guesses that it will help some, but maybe not enough.


Education: CBS News reports that Princeton University has honored lunchroom, and other non-professorial workers, by hanging their portraits.


Environment: A Relevant article on why Christians should care for the environment.

Health: A woman with sickle-cell anemia has been treated with her own cells, modified with CRISPR. The results are promising.
 
Politics: Relevant reports that white evangelicals are further from the mainstream in their attitudes concerning immigration than they are on abortion.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 759

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Christianity: FiveThirtyEight on the decline in connection with religion among millennials.

Christianity Today reports on a study of sermon length in various Christian churches.
 
Education: (and Humor) Listverse on ten silly English words.

You should look at these maps, in a post from Listverse. They will probably change the way you think about the world.

Environment: (And Christianity) Christianity Today reports on efforts, by the World Evangelical Alliance, to use solar power for churches.

Health: NPR reports that exposure to green light may be a treatment for pain, such as that from migraine headaches.

Politics: According to Relevant, President Trump, in yet another attempt to stop immigration, has issued an executive order prohibiting resettlement, unless local government agrees. An evangelical group has petitioned governors to allow such resettlement. Some governors have agreed.

FiveThirtyEight has a great essay on what's what with the two major political parties. Democrats, it says, are less about identity groups, more about ideology, than they used to be, and Republicans are more about identity groups and less about ideology, than they used to be.

Science: (or something) WHNS-TV reports that a recent flurry of attacks on horses, in the field, were due to wild hogs. Here's an earlier report on the attacks.

The Scientist reports on feather-eating lice -- they've been around a long time, like on dinosaurs.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.
 
Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 755

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:
Computing: ListVerse tells us about 10 popular web sites/apps that started out as something considerably different. (Amazon used to sell books, nothing else, for example.)
National Public Radio reports on some sophisticated on-line scamming techniques.
Gizmo's Freeware describes a free program that easily downloads YouTube videos.
 
Education: Grammarphobia: Should it be Moses's staff, or Moses' staff?

The Panda's Thumb says that the Ohio lower house has passed a bill with some disturbing implications. To quote from the blog post:  House Bill 164, labeled the “Student Religious Liberties Act,” would amend the state’s Education Code to forbid schools from “prohibit[ing] a student from engaging in religious expression in the completion of housework, artwork, or other written or oral assignments.” The blog post points out that this would seem to prevent a teacher from marking an answer like this as wrong: "God told me that the capital of Ohio is Tallahassee."
 
Politics: Relevant says that Stephen Miller, influential White House advisor, has to go. He seems to be the driving force behind President Trump's immigration policies, which, among other things, have drastically cut the number of refugees entering the US, and tried to prevent all Muslims from entering the country.

Relevant also reports that the US detains more of its children in various facilities, than any other country.

Science: The Scientist reports on a study that indicates that very few children are the result of an extra-marital affair.


The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.
 
Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 754

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to

someone else:

Christianity: Relevant has an article about how the Bible says to treat refugees, with Bible quotes. They missed at least one. To quote my own blog: The Bible also says, in reference to a specific refugee crisis:
Isaiah 16:3 Give counsel! Execute justice! Make your shade like the night in the middle of the noonday! Hide the outcasts! Don’t betray the fugitive! 4a Let my outcasts dwell with you! As for Moab, be a hiding place for him from the face of the destroyer. (This was in spite of the fact that the Moabites hadn’t always been good to Israel. See Joshua 24:9, Judges 3:12-30, 1 Samuel 12:9.)

(And politics) Christianity Today has an article decrying our current immigration policies. The article also points to a suggestion, endorsed by several evangelical leaders, that a path to citizenship, for illegals, be created, including restitution -- not amnesty.
 
Politics: Relevant reports that there were NO refugees settled in the US in October.

NPR on how the Chinese government is trying to control Tibetan Buddhists, for example in the recognition of the next Dalai Lama.
FiveThirtyEight discusses the electability of Pete Buttigieg, including a discussion of how his homosexuality might influence voters.
Science: The Scientist report on the use of CRISPR genetic engineering to alter cancer patients' cells, and the introduction of such altered cells back into the patients. The alterations were designed to attack cancer cells. It's not yet clear whether the treatment has successfully fought the cancer.
Gizmodo, and other outlets, report that a trap for catching mammoths has been discovered. It's a large trap.
NPR discusses the uses of Helium, the only chemical element that easily escapes the earth.


The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.
 
Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 753

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Christianity: Christianity Today names 10 places where Christians are being persecuted.

(or something) A successful Hollywood type thanked a policeman for arresting him, years earlier.

He Lives explains the parable, or perhaps story, of the barren fig tree.

Education: (and politics) NPR reports on Cactus, a small town in Texas, that has mostly welcomed immigrants from Central America, in spite of the strain that enrollment growth has put on their school.

Food: NPR reports on a soup that's been simmering for 45 years.

Health: (And politics) According to the Washington Examiner, the Trump administration has dealt a huge setback to veterans seeking medical help.

NPR reports on the effect of loud noises on our ears.

Humor: Relevant reports on how long Halloween candy remains good to eat.
 
Politics: NPR chronicles President Donald Trump's relationship with the US intelligence organizations.

Science: The Scientist on some of the things that mitochondrial DNA does.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.
 
Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 749

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Christianity: A Christianity Today article suggests ways of dealing with temptation to sexual sin.

Computing: (And Politics) A web page that lists the best fact-checking sites.

Education: Grammarphobia on why we say "zig-zag," not "zag-zig."

Environment: CBS News, and other outlets, report that Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is being severely harmed by border fence construction.
 
Finance: (and politics) Catherine Rampell says that the economy probably won't be enough to keep President Trump from being impeached.

Catherine Rampell also points out that  President Trump has brought back the much-criticized individual mandate.

Food: (and politics) NPR reports that most Himalayan pink salt is actually from Pakistan.

Politics: Catherine Rampell describes another whistleblower matter -- about the President's tax returns.

FiveThirtyEight examines the question of whether Democratic Presidential hopefuls Sanders, Warren or Harris are likely to move toward the center if they become the Democratic nominee.

FiveThirtyEight also reviews evidence that most of us (of whatever political persuasion) see things through serious bias.

Michael Gerson believes that President Trump is being driven by a bizarre conspiracy theory.

Science: The Scientist tells us that macaques are not able to hear patterns and frequency ratios in music.

Gizmodo reports on a study that indicates that human fetuses have limb muscles that disappear during embryonic development. These muscles are like those found in reptiles.

Gizmodo also reports on evidence that a large object struck the earth about 12,800 years ago.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.
 
Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 744

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Christianity: Michael Gerson says that white evangelicalism is dying rapidly, and its leaders don't seem aware of this, or to care. Most of the offspring of older white evangelicals don't consider themselves evangelical, or even religious.

Education: Grammarphobia discusses usage of "mens," and "men's," and related matters.

Food: Listverse has an article on things you probably didn't know about chocolate.

Health: (or something) Listverse tells us how to be more attractive.

NPR examines the effect of high summer heat on people's health, and finds that the poor, in large cities, are exposed to more heat than those of us who are better off.

Humor: Relevant on the importance of having fun.


Politics: NPR has outlined the Trump administration's many actions, and attempted actions, on immigration. The goal is clear - keep people out, or send them back, as often as possible.

Science: Listverse shows us 10 cases of animal mimicry.

Sports: NPR reports on a 103-year-old female athlete from India.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.
 
Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 741

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to

someone else:

Health: Listverse tells us 10 interesting things about sweat.

Grammarphobia discusses the naming of Viagra and a number of other drugs.

History: NPR discusses the awful history of the idea of white supremacy, which idea has been, and is, all too popular, for decades.

Humor: (or something) Gizmodo reports on toilet explosions.


Politics: Relevant points out that video game playing doesn't seem to be responsible for mass shootings.

Relevant reports that Chaldean Christians have been sent back to Iraq, where some of them had never been before, with predictable awful consequences.

Relevant takes the Lt. Governor of Texas to task for tying the shooting in El Paso to removal of prayer from the public schools. Franklin Graham apparently agreed with the Lt. Governor.

Catherine Rampell discusses the meaning of "drain the swamp" under the Trump administration. It doesn't mean what most of us thought it did.

Rampell also writes about how President Trump treats former aides/lawyers/whatever who are less than completely adulatory about the President. Not very well.

Michael Gerson on conspiracy theories, and President Trump.
 
Science: The Scientist tells us that space exploration by Israel, and the US, may have left living organisms on the moon.

The Scientist also reports that lots of bacteria in the ocean capture light energy by using a pigment different from chlorophyll.

. . . and The Scientist, and many other outlets, report on the serious weakening, perhaps even nullification, of the Endangered Species Act. 

NPR reports on the discovery of a very large fossil parrot.

Sports: Simone Biles shows us amazing excellence in gymnastics.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.
 
Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 739

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

The Arts: Gizmodo shows us some amazing photos of flowers and insects.

(And Science) NASA's entire media library is now free for public use.
Relevant displays some amazing mobiles. Really amazing.
Christianity: FiveThirtyEight analyzes a recent poll on what Americans know about religion (not just Christianity). Not as much as they should. 

He Lives discusses the chronology of creation.

Computing: Several experts don't believe that a recent ruling by the government will have any affect on Facebook's use of our private information for its own purposes.

Relevant reports on a study that says that 88% of us are looking at some screen while we eat.

Politics: Catherine Rampell on the severe anti-immigration actions of the Trump administration.

Catherine Rampell also points out that President Trump and other Republicans have been acting as socialists a lot lately.

Michael Gerson on Mueller's appearance before Congressional committees.

Politico on how environmental concerns are being set aside, and the Trump administration is pushing for fossil fuel development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. I thank one of my brothers, who pointed me to this article.

Relevant on what the Christian community should be doing about gun violence. 

Science: An article on the largest organism on earth, which seems to be dying.

Listverse tells us some interesting things about tears and crying.

Sports: FiveThirtyEight suggests that really tall players will be featured more often in the National Basketball Association, as they used to be.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.
 
Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 738

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Christianity: Christianity Today interviews Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The State Department is hosting a major event, focusing on religious freedom all over the world.

More from Speculative Faith on engaging (or not) with the culture.

Computing: Gizmodo reports that almost all activity of users on pornography web sites is tracked by Google and other companies, including Facebook. The study did not answer the question as to what, if anything, that data is used for. The study looked at over 22,000 pornography web sites.

Health: NPR reports on a study, indicating that, world-wide, we don't grow enough fruits and vegetables for everyone to have recommended amounts of them.

An NPR writer tells us how to know if we really need surgery, and how to find the right surgeon, if we do.

NPR also reports on a study of teeth, around the world. We are eating way too much sugar, and not doing preventive practices.

Humor: (or something) Listverse tells us about some elaborate and amazing things made with Legos.


Politics: An NPR person thinks that President Trump's statements about certain House members should have been reported, but that calling them "racist" was opinion, not reporting. Not everyone at NPR agrees.

Catherine Rampell summarizes several recent actions, by the Trump administration, to make immigration from the South even more difficult. Most of these actions violate US and international law, she says.

Science: Gizmodo reports that the temperature at the northernmost settlement on earth reached 70 degrees Fahrenheit, for the first time ever, recently.

An environmental success story. Thanks to heroic efforts (and funding) from many people, the California condor population has grown from 20 or so to 300 wild birds.

Gizmodo reports on studies of the frequent volcanic activity on Io, a moon of Jupiter.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, I believe, it is public domain. 

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 736

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Christianity: A Relevant writer warns of the dangers of patriotism, for Christians.

Kaiser Health News reports that small churches can wipe out millions of dollars in other people's medical debts. 

A Relevant writer on why the Bible is trustworthy.

Computing: Gizmo's Freeware on what you can do with the Function keys (F1, F2, etc.) in Windows, and Office.

Education:  Listverse tells us some things we probably didn't know about newborn babies.

Health: NPR on how to pick a doctor, or how to change doctors.

Politics: Catherine Rampell on incriminating, or nearly such, e-mails between a Republican gerrymandering expert and a Census Bureau employee, a few years ago, about adding a question about citizenship to the census. There's also a discussion of the effect of adding such a question.

Relevant reports that when Russell Moore, an official of the Southern Baptist Convention, was one of many Christian leaders who decried conditions for immigrant children, Jerry Falwell, Jr., attacked Moore.

FiveThirtyEight posted "The First Democratic Debate in Five Charts." (The report combines the two nights of the debate.)

NPR reports that President Trump recently portrayed himself as helping the environment a lot.

Michael Gerson says that the President celebrated military victories, but not the character of the US.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, I believe, it is public domain.
Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 713

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Christianity: A Relevant writer tells us about four ways in which the modern church is not like the early church.
A Christianity Today writer reminds us that the New Testament uses "in Christ" to describe salvation.

Humor: (or something) Jalopnik reports on a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado made of Legos.


Politics: Michael Gerson on the Trumpification of the pro-life movement.

S. E. Cupp considers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Relevant reports that four women who left water in the desert for immigrants may go to jail.


The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, I believe, it is public domain.
Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 705

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Education: A Scientific American writer argues that STEM education and the other liberal arts are all essential.

Ethics: (and Science) A Chinese scientist, who says he altered genes in two baby girls, while they were embryos, has faced lots of outcry, on ethical grounds, and because what he did was not generally perceived to have been wise. For more on this matter, also from NPR, see here. Gizmodo reports that the Chinese government has shut down these experiments. Scientific American asks some important questions about this episode.

Food: NPR tells us how much protein we need, and whether or not we are likely to be getting it.

Politics: NPR says that the number of unauthorized immigrants is the lowest in a decade.

Relevant reports that more white evangelical Christians believe that climate change is real, than the percentage of Republicans who do.

FiveThirtyEight provides a chart, showing that the Mueller investigation, far from being a fruitless "witch hunt," has resulted in more indictments and pleas over a shorter time than any like investigation since Watergate.

Listverse tells us about 10 important episodes in the career of the late President George H. W. Bush.

Science: Earther on possible ways to protect coral reefs through technological intervention.

Gizmodo reports on a female albatross, in the wild, who is at least 69 years old, and raised a chick last year, and has laid an egg this year.

Gizmodo, and other outlets, report that some spiders feed their young with a milk-like substance.


The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, I believe, it is public domain. 

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 696

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Christianity: Relevant on Chris Pratt's faith.

A Relevant article asks if we have made the Bible into an idol.

A Christianity Today article discusses why so many of us don't read the Bible very much.


Computing: Google is forcing people to sign in to the Chrome browser. See here or here, if you are concerned about that.

Food: Laboratory-grown meat is getting closer to market.

Politics: Relevant reports on the current US Administration's shameful cutting of the number of refugees allowed into the US. Christianity Today also chimes in.

The Trump administration has rolled back rules on the emission of methane.

Amazing! The House and the Senate both passed a bill with no negative votes!


Newsweek and other sources report that prototypes of the proposed border wall are seriously defective, with at least one being even dangerous.

FiveThirtyEight examines the power of Republican political endorsements (in Republican primaries).

Science: ZME Science reports on the heaviest (and largest) organism in the world. It's really big.

(or something) Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina agriculture badly. About 1.7 million chickens have drowned, according to Earther.

Gizmodo reports that genetic analysis of elephant tusks and feces is being used to combat poachers, which are a serious problem. The article says that about 40,000 elephants are killed for their tusks each year.

A Japanese spacecraft has landed on a asteroid, and has sent back some photos, according to Gizmodo and other sources.

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 694

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Education: Grammarphobia tells us about roads and rivers that branch -- both branches are called "forks," not "tines."

Health: (or something) National Public Radio reports that having been sexually abused by a priest can lead to issues with dealing with authority figures (such as bosses) and to financial burdens.

Scientific American asks why we haven't cured the common cold yet.

New Scientist reports that probiotics probably don't do much good, and may do harm, in some conditions. See also here.

Gizmodo reports that hot-air hand dryers are not as good at keeping germs down as paper towels.

NPR reports that Alzheimer's may be caused by some infectious agent.

Politics: Slate, and other news sources, report that the Trump administration is not renewing passports for some Hispanic US citizens.

Science: Gizmodo reports on the discovery that a particular kind of shark is an omnivore. (Eating both plants and animals.)

Scientific American and other outlets report that Jocelyn Bell Burnell has received a $3,000,000 prize for the discovery of pulsars.

Earther reports on the discovery of three previously unknown fish species, found in a deep ocean trench.

Thanks for looking!