On the front line of aid for many of these people are religious groups who help refugees not only out of sympathy for their plight, but also because of commandments in sacred texts.“For Christians, at least, we reach out to refugees and other immigrants because the Bible instructs us to do so,” said Matthew Soerens, a World Relief staffer and field director of the Evangelical Immigration Table.

While some may wage wars in the name of their religion, others care for the refugees who flee the violence because of their own faith.

“YOU WILL BE MADE RICH IN EVERY WAY SO THAT YOU CAN BE GENEROUS ON EVERY OCCASION, AND THROUGH US YOUR GENEROSITY WILL RESULT IN THANKSGIVING TO GOD. THIS SERVICE THAT YOU PERFORM IS NOT ONLY SUPPLYING THE NEEDS OF GOD’S PEOPLE BUT IS ALSO OVERFLOWING IN MANY EXPRESSIONS OF THANKS TO GOD.” (2 CORINTHIANS 9:11-12, NIV)