Have you heard of the “Genius Visa”? Some call the EB-1 Visa[1] the “Einstein Visa,” and it is one of the tools the United States uses to control the tide of immigrants pouring into the greatest nation on earth[2]. It is a simple idea: we open the doors to our nation a bit wider for those who bring significant skills and talents. Those working in STEM fields seem to receive more Genius Visas than those in other fields, though the official descriptions reference extraordinary talents in many fields, including Pulitzer, Oscar, and Olympic winners[3].
When it comes to immigration, some things never change. Ancient Babylon managed immigration with a Genius Visa of its own. Or perhaps I should re-phrase. I’m not sure anyone was applying to immigrate into Babylon. But Babylon used a “Genius Visa” approach to guide its practice of capturing and enslaving the citizens of other nations.
That is, when King Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem and took Israelites back to Babylon, the king took only the people of “quality,” leaving the poor behind to manage the land. Remember Daniel and his friends? The king carefully chose the best and the brightest and had them trained to work for him.
“And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained save the poorest sort of the people of the land” 2 Kings 24:14.
King Nebuchadnezzar even took Judah’s kings back to Babylon (first Jehoiakim, then his son, Jehoiachin). That is the Genius Visa in action. To manage things after Nebuchadnezzar returned to Babylon, he appointed Zedekiah king—but of course, King Zedekiah was only a vassal or puppet king (something like Herod under Caesar). Zedekiah had no real power, being essentially middle-management.
The Bible is a book written of the oppressed, by the oppressed, and for the oppressed.
Most people on earth today and most throughout history have suffered under the oppression of cruel governments, wicked kings, or those who claim to own them as slave masters and human traffickers. Nebuchadnezzar was no different. He laid siege to Jerusalem. He took the people captive and carried them back to Babylon, some 700 miles away. He installed a vassal king to look after things in his absence. Freedom? Liberty? Self-rule? A right to vote? Freedom of speech? Freedom of the press? Freedom to assemble so you can talk about revolution? These ideas were so unknown as to be figments.
Most of the Bible concerns the oppressed: slaves, refugees, subjects of evil kings, captives, exiles, and citizens with no liberty living under the boot of an occupying power, whether Persia, Greece, or Rome.
Those of us who have never lived under an oppressive, dictatorial government or without liberty and the right to vote must recognize that we are the unicorn in the zoo: we are the ones with lives so good our ancient ancestors could hardly have believed we would one day exist. We are living lives of fantasy, lives of myth past generations would hardly find credible. They could not have imagined or understood us.
And we cannot understand them. We have seen so little of slavery, oppression, war, and genocide. Most of us will never leave our home, put our property on our backs and start over somewhere else. But the Bible is filled with such stories.
Dear God, give us insight. Give us education. Fill us with compassion and wisdom, not only about immigration, but about your word. What do we fail to comprehend because our lives are so easy, so insulated from cruel tyrannies? Help us understand your word better every day, and the extraordinary challenges and tragedies those within its pages must have endured.
AΩ.
[1] The EB-1A and EB-1B visas are both “Employment Based,” and will be granted based on extensive achievements and abilities. The EB-1A does not require an employer’s sponsorship and a job offer (both required by EB-1B), but EB-1A requires a higher standard of achievement and ability.
[2] With over fifty million foreign-born residents, the US is host to more immigrants than the next five nations on that list combined. Thus, whatever your beliefs about our immigration policy, the sheer number of people involved is an indication of the critical importance of US immigration and asylum policy.
Household Words: 