Florida church plans to burn Korans on 9/11 anniversary

[Cypress]

Florida church plans to burn Korans on 9/11 anniversary
Bruce Maiman ("Examiner," July 26, 2010)

Miami, USA - Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center, a church in Florida that pledges to "stand up for righteousness," is organizing an "International Burn a Koran Day" for the upcoming anniversary of Sept 11.

The nondenominational church, which has "Islam is of the devil" signs displayed in its front lawn, has organized past protests against Islam. (It's also the title of a book penned by Jones. The sign has repeatedly been vandalized.)

"We feel, as Christians, one of our jobs is to warn," said Jones. He hopes that the protests he organizes will offer Muslims a reason to convert.

Apparently, they got the idea from a Facebook page called "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day."

Reaction? Well, according to something called the Religion News Service, Jones claims that "people have been mailing Qurans to the church to burn."

The church is also taking heat for planning an upcoming protest against homosexuality in Gainesville, FL. The church's website declares: "Free speech is hated by homosexuals and they do not like to hear the truth about their perverted lifestyle. We are protesting our openly homosexual Mayor Aug. 2."

OK, so they're going to burn Korans to show the Muslims they hate them, and they're putting together a protest to show gays that they hate them.

I'm having a little trouble understanding their "outreach" theory. Churches and pastors like this one would make Jesus roll over in his grave.

Why do people who say that they're followers of Christ want to act in hateful ways toward those who believe differently from themselves?

Would the people opposed to a mosque inside a community center just two blocks from the World Trade Center find the pastor's actions equally disrespectful?

Does the pastor even know that the Koran affirms that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and affirms him as Son of God? How would these people feel if Muslims burned the Bibles from their church?

There are roughly 1.3 billion Muslims in the world and only a tiny fraction of them are allied with al-Qaeda. Actions like those of Pastor Jones are not only won't endear Americans to Muslims, but will serve as recruiting tool for terrorists. Ironically, Jones is helping the very people he says he despises.

And you wonder why Islamists consider the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan by westerners a "Holy War." It's exactly because of this kind of idiotic pulpit politics.

Jesus says that all Christians must love their friends and their enemies as themselves. The Bible clearly states that if we do not love first, than all our actions are meaningless and of no effect, or worse, they nullify the word of our testimony about Christ.

But let him have his book-burning day. Free speech always has its fringe groups. The best weapon against free speech is always more free speech. Maybe Christians out to pray for people like Pastor Terry Jones by having an "International Love Muslims Day."

"The bosom of America is to be open to receive...the oppressed and persecuted of all nations and religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges...They may be Mohometans (Muslims), Jews or Christians of any sect, or they may be atheists." --George Washington, 1783.

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[Badran]

I like the guy who wrote the article, he had good things to say.

I'm also glad that this church's actions are so extreme and naive, and not only towards muslims, so that it is easier to see these kinds of actions for what they are, and is a lot easier to be not taken seriously.

The only backlash, as mentioned in the article, which i do fear, is the reaction of the extreme muslims. This might stir up a lot of trouble and provide all the bad results that would directly contribute to enlarging the gap, and adding more to the naive opinions and stances that some Americans take from muslims, and vice versa.

 

[blackout]

People have nothing better to do.....

 

[Father Heathen]

What do they hope to accomplish, actually? I dislike the koran myself, but it seems like a fruitless waste of time to accumulate and burn them. And as a church, it seems counter productive to alienate people.

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

Book burnings are always a sign of an open minded group of fun individuals.

 

[Nerthus]

So how much will they complain and make a fuss if Muslims then go and burn a copy of the Bible?

 

[LuisDantas]

It gets worse. The Qur'an is not the Muslim equivalent of the Bible, but rather that of Jesus himself.

The article itself is wise and well-written. The act, however, manages to be silly and destructive at the same time.

 

[idea]

That makes me sooo mad. These people are NOT Christians!!!! I hate it when some crazy group does something like this, and gives everyone else a bad name.

I am a Christian, and I would NEVER burn a Qur'an! or any other book for that matter. I've celebrated Ramadan before, most Muslims are wonderful peaceful ppl.

 

[idea]

So how much will they complain and make a fuss if Muslims then go and burn a copy of the Bible?

The Bible and the Quran both start out the same - both Abrahamic religions.... Both of them would be burning their own book... Like a Christian burning a Torah - that would be burning their own book too.

 

[Cypress]

It is always wrong to burn a book, no matter which.
To destroy books is barbaric.

 

[K.Venugopal]

It would also be fair to say that this sort of extreme reaction against Islam is a result of 9/11 and this particular Church's almost inexplicable reaction is consequent to the decision to build a Mosque or Islamic Centre in the vicinity of Ground Zero.

While terrorism is not exclusive to Muslims, it is almost unique that among the innumerable terrorist organizations in the world, it is only the Muslim terrorist organizations that swear in the name of religion, with probably only the now almost defunct IRA which can be thought of as another example. LTTE was predominantly made up of Hindus and in its heyday had the reputation of being the most ruthless terrorist organization in the world, but the organization never swore in the name of Hinduism. Their aim was never to set up a Hindu state. None of the terrorist organizations in Europe, like the Basque party in Spain, fights in the name of Christianity, though all its members may be Christians.

The lopsided preaching of the likes of Dr. Zakir Naik is misguiding young but not so educated Muslims into believing that it is only a matter of time before all the other religions will crumble before the sheer logic of Islam and such youths are easy recruiting targets of terrorists who tell them the power of violence added on to the power of logic of the Quran will make the Muslims invincible in the shortest possible time.

Therefore I think, however obnoxious the idea of burning a holy book like the Quran may sound to the sensibilities of all sane men, this particular wayward Church is actually contributing to sobering the overenthusiastic Muslims that they can go this far and no further. It would be interesting to note that when the French parliament went ahead with the proposal to ban the burqa it was roundly condemned by the Muslim intelligentsia and even others (surprisingly there were no violent protests) but look what happened since. A Mullah in Saudi Arabia has clarified in a fatwa that it is OK for Muslim women visiting France not to wear the burqa while there, if that is what French laws call for! Sobering effect?

In India it has just come to light that there are Hindu organizations which were planting bombs in mosques and killing Muslims when it was thought all along that Muslims were responsible for all the bomb blasts in India. Maybe it will result in all bomb blasts thereby ending. There is a phrase in Bhagwad Gita, “ushnam ushname shanti” which means heat can only be suppressed by heat - a rather illogical proposition but sometimes only the illogical can find a way out.

 

[Smoke]

If this catches on, there's a fortune to be made in the Qur'an-publishing business.

 

[.lava]

The only backlash, as mentioned in the article, which i do fear, is the reaction of the extreme muslims.

this kind of stuff does not need a bunch of cruel men to start a fight. i mean, one does not really have to be extremist, radical or terrorist to give a reaction to this. a teenager would do, someone who has temper would do. there are Muslims that i know. they trully have nothing to do with extreme thoughts or ways. but they would fight over this physically. people have limits, you know.

well, i hope they don't do it

.

 

[Panda]

Some people are just idiots. I mean a book burning they might as well just get a sign saying "Intolerant Bigots with abnormally low IQ's"

 

[Guitar's Cry]

The Bible and the Quran both start out the same - both Abrahamic religions.... Both of them would be burning their own book... Like a Christian burning a Torah - that would be burning their own book too.

That's a good point! They probably don't quite realize they are also burning the Old Testament. (Unless they are going through the trouble to remove it first.)

 

[linwood]

this kind of stuff does not need a bunch of cruel men to start a fight. i mean, one does not really have to be extremist, radical or terrorist to give a reaction to this. a teenager would do, someone who has temper would do. there are Muslims that i know. they trully have nothing to do with extreme thoughts or ways. but they would fight over this physically. people have limits, you know.

Lava,

Anyone who would physically fight over the destruction of the written word on paper is an extremist.

You can burn any book you like as far as I`m concerned as long as it is your property.

I`ll think you`re an idiot but that`s as far as I`ll go.

 

[Caladan]

Books burning... gotta hate it.

 

[Michigan Atheist]

So how much will they complain and make a fuss if Muslims then go and burn a copy of the Bible?

Most Muslims I know, would NEVER burn a bible, they would find that offensive. Now, they might go burn a couple of those Christians for burning their Koran.

This is absurd, and it just goes to show that religion poisons everything. What purpose does this serve? I was sitting at home when 9/11 happened, within twenty-four hours I was in NY City, helping people cope with the disaster. There were Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and Atheists all affected by what happened that day. Blaming the entire Muslim religion for what happened on that day, would be like blaming the entire Christian religion for what happened to the Jews during WWII, or blaming the Jews for the death of Jesus.

I am as sickened by the RADICAL Christian response to 9/11 as I was by the RADICAL Muslim attacks that happened that day. To me, they are one and the SAME.

 

[.lava]

Lava,

Anyone who would physically fight over the destruction of the written word on paper is an extremist.

You an burn any book you like as far as I`m concerned as long as it is your property.

I`ll think you`re an idiot but that`s as far as I`ll go.

i would have to disagree with that. to me definition of extremist is a person who enjoys terrorizing people and feels superior scaring people. if they are holding guns and organized then they are terrorists. they are most likely sadistic and oppressive people. but there are also ordinary people who have weaknesses. you don't need to be extremist to have revengeful thoughts. matter of fact, noone needs to be religious at all to have revengeful thoughts because revenge is a vice that everyone has. so far i can tell motivation of extremists is hatred. there are other motivations and people have limits. extremists and terrorists are doing whatever they are doing not because they lost control, no, they chose to, they like it. but people may lose control as well. for that matter, burning Quran is a great provocation. anything worse? burning Muslims, maybe?

.

 

[Michigan Atheist]

While terrorism is not exclusive to Muslims, it is almost unique that among the innumerable terrorist organizations in the world, it is only the Muslim terrorist organizations that swear in the name of religion, with probably only the now almost defunct IRA which can be thought of as another example..

Sorry, but there is a very alive radical group of Christians within America, some of whom have done and are planning to do, terrorist acts, IN THE NAME OF JESUS.

Therefore I think, however obnoxious the idea of burning a holy book like the Quran may sound to the sensibilities of all sane men, this particular wayward Church is actually contributing to sobering the overenthusiastic Muslims that they can go this far and no further.

UM... NO, this logic is not in the least bit logical; no more than saying the death penalty reduces crimes for which that penalty is enforced. Burning the Quran will actually have the opposite effect on all Muslims, not just the radical ones. This act will not send any kind of sobering message, it will only serve to inflame and VALIDATE the hatred they have for infidels. The very act of burning something held sacred by a group, in no way causes fear but will cause an anger than us "sane men" should fear. It's stupidity at it's finest, and ONE time when the First Ammendment doesn't help.