May 20, 2010

Arizona Immigration Law Thwarting LDS Missionaries - Jose Corral was seriously considering joining the LDS Church. For weeks, Corral, 45, a fourth-grade teacher, met with missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at his home in Laveen, Ariz., to read The Book of Mormon and prepare for his baptism. Corral, a Roman Catholic and the father of two preteen daughters, was especially drawn to the Utah-based church's commitment to family values. "I was really interested," said Corral, a legal permanent resident from Mexico. "I thought, you know, it is going to be really good for the kids." Then, Corral said, he found out that state Sen. Russell Pearce, a Republican from Mesa and sponsor of Arizona's tough new immigration law, is a Mormon. Corral said he told the missionaries to stop coming because he considers the law anti-immigrant and anti-Latino. "I decided I did not want to expose my kids to a religion that has members that hate other people because they are different." Corral is not alone. The law, which makes it a state crime to be in the country without proper immigration papers, has tarnished the LDS Church's image among many Latinos, a huge group the church is aggressively trying to attract. Pearce has been the driving force behind virtually every bill introduced in recent years aimed at clamping down on illegal immigrants. LDS officials say he does not speak for the church, which has not taken a stance on Arizona's law. It has put the church on the defensive. Kenneth Patrick Smith, a Mesa lawyer and president of the Valencia Branch, a Spanish-speaking LDS congregation in the Mormon stronghold of Mesa, said missionaries have had doors slammed in their faces since Gov. Jan Brewer signed Arizona's new law in April. "They say, 'Why would we want to hear anything from a religion that would do this to the Hispanic community?' " said Smith, who emphasized that he was speaking for himself, not the church. "It's a great disconnect because on one hand the missionaries are out there preaching brotherly love, kindness, charity, tolerance, faith, hope, etc., and then they see on TV a quote-unquote Mormon pushing this legislation that makes them not only ... terrified but terrorized." Pearce repeatedly has said his efforts to drive illegal immigrants out of Arizona and keep them from coming here is based partly on the LDS Church's 12th Article of Faith, which says Mormons believe in "obeying, honoring and sustaining the law." The new Arizona statute makes it a crime to be in the Grand Canyon State without proper immigration papers. It also requires police to ask a person's immigration status if there is "reasonable suspicion" that the person is in the country illegally. Critics say it could lead to rampant racial profiling and civil-rights abuses by officers targeting Latinos. Many Latinos who view the new law as unjust and discriminatory blame not only Pearce but also the LDS Church. That is making it hard for Mormons to proselytize to the state's 1.8 million Latinos, whom the church views as key to future growth.

“how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and ye would not!” Matthew 23:37