A church in southern California chose to inject a political message into its depiction of the nativity scene this year with a pro-illegal immigration theme, as reported by The Washington Post.
The display was set up by the Claremont United Methodist Church, located in Los Angeles, and depicts Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as being kept in separate cages, as a form of protest against the Trump Administration’s immigration policy.
The church’s pastor, Karen Ristine, said that their “intent is to focus on the asylum seekers and the ways they are being greeted and treated, and to suggest that there might be a more compassionate way to show God’s love.”
The display received widespread condemnation for injecting politics into a religious display. Claremont’s interpretation of the nativity is also historically inaccurate, as Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were not refugees, but were simply returning to Bethlehem to be included in the census.