At the time of this writing, the American government has been shut down as the result of an impasse over President Trump’s promise to build a wall at America’s southern border. The Democrats don’t want to fund the wall and are determined to undermine the President. I personally don’t understand why, except that they clearly dislike Trump so much that they would prefer not to add additional security to our southern borders. (By the way, I’m not a Republican or a Democrat and I did not vote for President Trump.) Nevertheless, we have to ask whether or not building a wall is the right thing to do. Or, should we just open our borders and let people enter our country illegally however they want, whenever they want?

In my opinion, we should most definitely build that wall. Walls are for the protection and preservation of the people behind them as well as for keeping people out.

Everyone has walls. We have them around our homes.  They are made of wood, brick, masonry, and plastic.  They designate property lines and offer protection and privacy to those behind them. Furthermore, we lock our doors at night because we recognize that there are bad people out there. That is why we want the safety that walls and locked doors provide.

Walls are not immoral

Walls are not moral or immoral. A wall is a construction of stones, or wood, or metal that encompasses an area. It is not the stones, or the wood, or the metal that has a moral nature. The issue of morality deals with people and motives, not the objects themselves. So, when people shift to the moral focus to the object (i.e. walls, guns, locks, etc), they are making a logical mistake.

In the case of the United States, the motivation of building a wall is to stop the southern invasion of illegal immigrants as well as reduce the transportation of drugs into the U.S. Now, I certainly appreciate the desire of people to have better lives and abandon their corrupt and dangerous homelands for the safer harbor in the United States. But let them enter our country legally, according to our laws, and let them adopt our language and culture.

Now I must be fair here. I grew up in Southern California, and I had Hispanic friends – some I still know. I love their culture, their warmth, and friendliness. They often add great value to our country. However, we are a nation of laws and we ought to uphold those laws and welcome people into our country through due process.

If the wall between America and Mexico is immoral, then…

If building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico is immoral, then should we tear down the walls, fences, and barriers that are already there?  If yes, then we are inviting illegals and drug trafficking into the United States. If no, then, shouldn’t we strengthen what’s already there, by building a better wall system and in the process increase the safety and welfare of our citizens?  Additionally, for those who say that building such a wall is immoral, then should those same people tear down the fences and walls around their own homes and show us what true morality really is?

Are they willing to open up their own homes and have people come into their dwellings whom they do not know and who have not come to this country legally? Of course not.  In my opinion, liberals want to appear moral, but hypocritically hide behind their own walls and locked doors while pointing fingers at those who seek a wall between Mexico and the U.S. to guard the safety of the citizens of our country.

Walls and the Bible

Walls are very biblical. There were walls around the tabernacle in the wilderness and Jerusalem (1 Kings 3:1) After the Jerusalem walls were destroyed in 586 B.C., they were rebuilt by Nehemiah (Neh. 6:1).  David said, “build up the walls of Jerusalem” to indicate God’s blessing of prosperity for the city (Ps 51:18)… in Ezekiel, the word [hb. choma] refers to a wall around the new Temple which Ezekiel envisions (Ezek. 40:5; 42:20).”¹Carpenter, Eugene E., and Philip W. Comfort. Holman Treasury of Key Bible Words: 200 Greek and 200 Hebrew Words Defined and Explained. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000.

So, yes walls are biblical.  If building them was wrong, then why are they used so much in scripture as a means of protection and safety?

Conclusion

Walls themselves are physical constructions, and so they don’t have morality built into them. Morality deals with the intention of the people who build them – or want them torn down. If the motivation for building a wall is to protect people from invasion and harm, then the wall is good. If the motivation is to keep out people whom we just don’t like due to their race, ethnic origin, etc., then the motivation is wrong. Therefore, when different groups speak about the morality of a wall, they need to clarify what the motives are so they don’t speak past each other. Furthermore, walls are biblical. People built them for protection and safety and so, the motives behind building them were morally good. This would mean that if the United States wants to build a wall at the southern border next to Mexico for the protection and safety of its citizens, then that is the right thing to do, too.