As an American, and as a Christian, I despise this.

When I think of banning those who desperately need our help, I think of two things which immediately discount it as an option. One is as an American, and one is as a Christian.

***As an American, I thought of our guiding principle of justice. INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY. I have seen judge after judge, lawyer after lawyer, layman after layman say that the most important element of the American system of justice is to error on the side of mercy. We convict ONLY when evidence mounts "BEYOND a reasonable DOUBT". "Better that ten guilty men go free than one innocent man be convicted." What does that say about convicting the entire Muslim nation, especially when the countries excluded from the ban are those countries which sent us the terrorists who HAVE killed Americans?

***As a Christian, I thought of the Lord's description of the Last Judgment ⇨ Matthew 25:31-46 at the end of the Olivet Discourse:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’

Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

I don't want to be the country the Lord finds guilty of the latter.