Paula White, the spiritual adviser to Donald Trump, has a few thoughts on the detainment of refugee children from their parents.

As you might expect, they are terrible — consistent with the monstrous ethics displayed by this administration. Even worse in her case, though, is how she uses Jesus to make a point. Apparently, the Son of God Himself would support locking these kids up because they broke the law. Unlike Him. Even though that’s kind of the thing he was known for…

Rafi Schwartz of Splinter explains:

In an interview with the Christian Broadcast Network this week, White — who serves as a member of Trump’s Spiritual Advisory Committee — described her recent visit to the Youth For Tomorrow child detention center in Bristow, VA, which has housed both unaccompanied immigrant children as well as those torn from their families under the administration’s separation policy. “It is beyond phenomenal,” White gushed. “Not just three square meals [but] psychiatric care, clinician, medical care, chapel, events, schooling, language, love.” Wow, sounds like a great place!… for a children’s prison. (In nearby Staunton, VA, for instance, immigrant teens at a different facility have alleged years of physical, and mental abuse.)

Cushy captivity (I use the word very loosely) is still captivity, Paula.

It got worse when she used the Bible to justify these atrocities:

I think so many people have taken biblical scriptures out of context on this, to say stuff like, ‘Well, Jesus was a refugee.’ Yes, He did live in Egypt for three-and-a-half years. But it was not illegal. If He had broken the law then He would have been sinful and He would not have been our Messiah.

Oh right. Jesus was a rule follower. That must be why the Romans adored him and eventually made him emperor. You can read all about it in the gospels of the Alt Bible.

White concluded her interview by insisting that having seen children locked in a detention facility, she’s come to the inescapable conclusion that we’re on the right track. “If we are going to be compassionate, we have to have stricter border security and laws,” White said.

If the facilities are so great, why doesn’t Paula stay there… without her family and with no possibility of reunification? It’s practically Disney World there, isn’t it?

Or does she know, deep down, that the administration she helps prop up is guilty of tearing apart families in the name of security without doing anything to actually protect the country?

At least some Christians are calling her out on it:

Jesus was a refugee & did break the law. He was crucified as a felon under Roman law. Christian nationalists like @Paula_White are enabling injustice w/ biblical interpretations that echo #SlaveholderReligion. https://t.co/FhV8qgUn9u — Rev. Dr. Barber (@RevDrBarber) July 11, 2018

Large portions of the New Testament were written FROM PRISON. The biblical illiteracy is stunning. — Rachel Held Evans (@rachelheldevans) July 11, 2018

No. Jesus "broke the laws," both religious and civic, several times, which is one of the reasons he was crucified. He healed on the Sabbath, permitted his disciples to pluck grain, had contact with the unclean, and so on. Plus, he was indeed a refugee: https://t.co/sDMECI3IDj https://t.co/sRc4FgqClN — James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) July 11, 2018

.@Paula_White – who commits theological malpractice with nearly every word – advises the president of the United States. Where did she get her theological education? She didn’t. Her highest degree is a high school diploma. https://t.co/s31RO8Ciws — Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) July 11, 2018

It’s bad enough that Trump uses these Christians for photo ops. What does it say about their religion that they can defend such cruel policies in the name of their faith?

