This is the first in a series of articles exploring different perspectives of illegal immigration.
Every day, illegal immigrants cross the borders to work, go to school and attend churches throughout the United States.
According to the 2000 Census, the number of illegal immigrants in the United States has grown to 8 million, a number that continues to increase by a half million people each year.
In regard to religion, the increasing number of illegal immigrants adds to church memberships throughout the nation.
Each church or religion has its own policies for handling church members that may be in the states illegally.
Robert Howell, public relations officer for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said the church's policy in baptizing illegal immigrants is nondiscriminatory.
"The blessings of the gospel through baptism are available to all of God's children regardless of their immigration status," he said.
However, the problem arises when the church member wants to get married in an LDS temple, Howell said.
Each marriage must follow the laws of the state it is in, and since the members are in the country illegally, they would be unable to have a temple marriage, Howell said.
"No marriages are performed in LDS temples located in the United States without a government-issued marriage license," he said.
Although it is illegal for a person to stay and live in the United States without being an official citizen, the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church has no obligation to turn in members it discovers are living illegally in the states, Howell said.
The Catholic church takes a similar viewpoint, said Father Mike Winterer of the Christ the King Catholic Church in Cedar City.
Illegal immigration is one of the most complex issues in the country, Winterer said.
"There is no black and white answer to this issue," he said.
However, just because there is no solution that has been discovered, the Catholic Church continues to focus on its primary goal of helping the poor, Winterer said.
Just because a member of the church may be in the states illegally, that does not mean they should be discriminated against in their area of worship, he said.
"Why are they coming into this country?" he said. "It is probably because of their poor situation and they are coming here to support their families."
Instead of turning them away from an opportunity to practice religion, the Catholic Church aids them in becoming a legal citizen, Winterer said.
"We are here to help," he said. "We try to help them become legal by bringing in lawyers."
Pastor Kirk Dunham, of the Bible Church in Green River, said he has a slightly different perspective on how illegal immigration should be handled, but agrees that he would never turn anyone away from his church regardless if they are a citizen or not.
"I don't see illegal immigrants becoming church members as the problem," he said. "The problem is that our country is closing its eyes to the situation."
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