Whether it’s conversation about immigration fears or about people trying to seek asylum in mainland Europe and potentially dying in the process, it seems whatever is happening, immigration gets people arguing, angers politicians and sells newspapers. Recent months have seen ships capsize crossing the Mediterranean, people attempting to illegally cross the Channel Tunnel and an election that around immigration, started by Nigel Farage and UKIP but eventually impacting the policies and manifestos of all the major parties. All of which begs the question: what should we think about immigration?
- What do you think about immigration?
- Should we have tighter controls on it?
- Do you think it’s important for a country to maintain strict control of who comes in and out?
- Does immigration change a country’s culture and identity? • Is that culture and identity important?
A lot of our views on immigration come down to the way we view countries: are they a central part of our identity? Should our nation’s identity be static or fluid? There’s no doubting that the cultural identity of the UK has been hugely shaped by immigration to the country; from things like the racial makeup of the population to curry houses in London and Birmingham, to Mo Farah’s success in the Olympics. It’s difficult to suggest that immigration hasn’t enriched the country, so why is it so controversial? Some say that immigrants take jobs and benefits, having a negative impact on the existing population. Should there be a middle ground? Do we need to find a fresh approach?
- What positives do you think immigration has had?
- Is the UK a better place because of our diverse culture?
- How important are countries? Should we put our own country and citizens first in every decision we make?
So how important are countries? Not just in terms of national identity, but our economy, the opportunities afforded to our citizens and the way we interact on the global stage? Why is it that an accident of geography means that we favour people who live at the other end of an island than the ones on the other side of the sea? Often we talk about God blessing our country, is this a good thing to pray for? Does God have geographical preferences? Read Genesis 11:1-9.
- What does this tell us about countries? Were they in God’s initial plan?
- Should this impact the way we view our own country? What about the way we view immigration and people moving between countries?
