As Nativity scenes pop up in the center of most American towns this Christmas, it should be remembered that the family of the recipient of such adoration were refugees fleeing certain death. According to the New Testament myth (since discredited by historians,) King Herod, fearful of losing power, ordered the Massacre of the Innocents in which all the male newborns in Judea were to be murdered. Forewarned, Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with their baby which forced them to cross the parched, rugged terrain of the northern Sinai, much as Mexican and Central American refugees are risking their lives to reach the sanctuary of the United States. I traversed northern Sinai in 1977. There’s little in the way of sustenance.

However mythical and immensely edited from the actual facts, the Old and New Testaments have a lot to say about welcoming the stranger in your midst and to not abuse, oppress or persecute them. This might not be surprising as that little chunk of desert we now call Israel/Palestine has been criss-crossed by more peoples in antiquity than imaginable, it being the nexus of Africa, Asia and Europe. But more importantly, Jesus of Nazareth based his ministry on the then-unheard of values of inclusion, compassion and recognizing the humanity of those different from oneself. These were radical notions two thousand years ago but as we’ve been learning lately, they are radical notions now as well. How sad that supposed Christians here in America are among those willing to round up defenseless migrants and fling them to the wolves.

One thing that critics of refugees fail to understand is that none of these people chose to become such. We soft, safe Americans have no idea what it’s like to be forced to flee from our homes with terrified children in tow to face an uncertain, if not possibly fatal future. These folks would much prefer to stay in their own homelands with the culture, language and traditions of their ancestral communities. The last thing they want is to cross deserts, rivers and oceans where their chances of survival are chancy at best.

A huge majority of these people are fleeing failed states; nations where the rule of law has evaporated to be replaced by vicious armed gangs. Places where access to food and water no longer exist because of war, drought, famine or under the control of ruthless local warlords. This is a global catastrophe whereby about 120,000,000 people have been displaced from their homes. We Americans are damned lucky not to be among them but there for the grace of God, go I. And you.

I recognize that immigration must be controlled but I will never believe that cruelty is part of the equation to remediate the issue. Nor can I ever justify the utterly insane and false accusations made against migrants during the recent presidential election that mirrored the rhetoric of Joseph Goebbels. Unfortunately, there are more than enough Americans, including the good citizens of Franklin County, willing to help round up these unfortunates for incarceration and deportation. But before they surrender to such heartless impulses, they might want to answer the following questions.

Are the dozens of Haitian families a “threat” to Greenfield and neighboring communities? Is Greenfield “suffering” from the need to succor them, especially since many are willing to find jobs and contribute to the general good? Will Shelburne Falls, Ashfield, Orange and Northfield cease to exist if a few Guatemalan or Venezuelan families choose to locate in their towns? I doubt it seeing that in the past, “true” Americans expressed the same fear tactics when Irish, French-Canadian, Polish and Jewish immigrants — all despised and demonized — appeared among them.

This will be a difficult holiday season to celebrate. Nearing the final quarter of my life (turning 75 next February,) it’s hard to believe that the same backwards, reactionary attitudes from the 1950s towards women, gays, minorities, religion and immigrants are not only back in vogue but about to be implemented as national policy. Cruelty and oppression are now being both threatened and justified. The venal Joe McCarthy witch hunt of my first decade on earth will soon be repeated as Trump and his obedient flunkies hunt down perceived “Enemies of the State.”

Jesus of Nazareth also was an enemy of the state who powerfully spoke out against cruelty, injustice, oppression and the hypocrisy of the powerful. If we can celebrate his birth, we can better live the values he manifested over his life.

Daniel A. Brown lived in Franklin County for 44 years and has written a monthly My Turn column for over two decades. He lives outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife, Lisa and dog, Cody.