Article April 27, 1992 Issue

Immigration and spiritual regeneration

For those who feel they don't belong, a perception of man's spiritual origin and nature can be a sure help.

Myriam Betouche

Droit du sol or Droit du sang ("Born on French soil" or "Born of French blood"). Which determines the rights of citizenship? French politicians are clashing over the issue of immigration. It's a hot topic nowadays for European societies confronted with this challenge.

Beyond the question of immigration lies the problem of integration for those who are already in our country, especially the children of the immigrants, called "the second generation." Public authorities do not easily find solutions to unemployment, education, insecurity, and vandalism.

How can people integrate into different cultures, with differing habits, laws, and practices? How can we stop the time bomb of hate that would lead a desperate youth to say, "I don't want to integrate, I want to destroy"? In response to such questions, a view of Christ's teachings as utterly practical can be helpful. These teachings point us to the need for spiritual regeneration, for being "born again." This involves consistent effort, and yet we see it as natural when we begin to recognize something of who we really are. Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health: "In Science man is the offspring of Spirit. The beautiful, good, and pure constitute his ancestry. His origin is not, like that of mortals, in brute instinct, nor does he pass through material conditions prior to reaching intelligence. Spirit is his primitive and ultimate source of being; God is his Father, and Life is the law of his being."

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