Burn a Koran Day? =:0

[HEthePrimate]

If you ask me, the pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center, Terry Jones, is a nutjob. He'll be burning copies of the Koran on Sept. 11, and is encouraging others to do the same. First of all, he's making the false assumption that Islam is inherently evil, which is a load of hooey. Second, he's endangering Americans, and American troops, worldwide by stoking the fires of anti-Americanism among Muslims. General David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, is warning as much: Top US commander: Burning Quran endangers troops - Yahoo! News

Just imagine if some idiot decided to burn copies of the Book of Mormon. Wouldn't exactly endear him to us, would it?

Way to go, Terry Jones! Making a bad situation worse, by hindering our efforts to reach out to Muslims and enlist their support in fighting terrorism.

HEP

[MarginOfError]

I think we should declare our own Read the Koran Day on September 11th and hope it counteracts the bad karma of such an idiot.

[BookofMormonLuvr]

Was it OK for the New Testament believers to burn their books?

Acts 19: 19

19 Many of them also which used curious aarts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.

[Moksha]

It should be pointed out that this is not the same Terry Jones from Monty Python. That Terry Jones would have nothing to do with this hateful pastor who just happens to have the same name, although I suspect they take the same size in women's frocks.

Terry Jones as proper English lady on far right.

[dorave]

Just imagine if some idiot decided to burn copies of the Book of Mormon. Wouldn't exactly endear him to us, would it?

We'd probably think 'so what, what else??' ...then have another million copies ready for print.

[prisonchaplain]

The action is foolish and counterproductive. On the other hand, the pastor understands what he is doing. He says he knows that not all Muslims are terrorists. Nevertheless, his concern is that non-Muslims are converting to the wrong faith, when they join. He wants the world to know that Jesus, not Islam, is the only way to God. Will this action achieve his purpose? Doubtful to the nth degree. Backlash likely? Absolutely! But there be his purpose.

[Faded]

I think that much of the thought going into this idiotic "holiday" is reactionary to the perception that Muslims do not respect anyone else's religion but their own. As with any religion, Islam could certainly do better, but it's not an accurate perception of Islam as a whole.

There are a lot of Christians and Muslims alike out there who are 100% sold on the idea that the great and last battle before the end of the world (as we know it) will be a massive fight between Islam and Christendom. While this is certainly possible, it's not a foregone conclusion. Nor is it the only scenario that would fulfill prophecies of the last battle/war. It is only viewed as inevitable because it fits geographically and Islam and Christendom have spent more of their time in contact with one another at war than not at war. Nothing is inevitable.

It's truthfully the same thing as anyone burning a Bible or Book of Mormon: The only reason for doing it is in hopes of getting a violent reaction. Once you get a violent reaction, then you can say, "I told you so, they're nothing but a pack of rabid monsters! They'll always just go berserk at the slightest provocation! This religion turns normal human beings into homicidal beasts!" The best thing that Muslims can do is to do nothing and say nothing. If the organizers of this atrocity don't get a violent reaction, they'll soon give up on it.

Unfortunately, much Islam hasn't quite figured out the power of non-violent protest. This probably will get a violent reaction.

[Wingnut]

Church statement

SALT LAKE CITY 8 September 2010 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, through a spokesman, issued the following statement today in response to news media inquiries:

“A key tenet of our faith is to accord everyone the freedom to worship as they choose. It is regrettable that anyone would regard the burning of any scriptural text as a legitimate form of protest or disagreement.”

[HoosierGuy]

Is this all an anti-Muslim stunt or anti-Iran stunt? Everyone wants to go after Iran. Hardly anyone mentions Saudi Arabia.

[pam]

Did you read the article? Where do you get Anti-Iran? The article mentions Afghanistan not Iran.

Edited September 9, 2010 by pam

[Just_A_Guy]

Imam: Moving Center Poses National Security Risk

You know, I generally think the conservative reaction here is overblown. But when Muslims subtly hitch their wagons to their lunatic fringe in order to get what they want (under threat of what might happen if they don't)--that really doesn't win my sympathy either.

[Therauh]

It's the kind of thing that gives christians a bad name and while he might not feel the backlash from it other christians living in that area most likely will.Ya have to wonder when a preacher is missing some key points of what Jesus said.... of course many have done the same over the years.He thinks he's helping but it'll most likely cause the opposite as it usually does.Their are so many that don't and won't consider the message or even the existence of God and hold it against him or the idea of him because of things exactly like this.

[Moksha]

Thank goodness the LDS Church has issued a statement against this Quran desecration.

[bytor2112]

Maybe if the government burned the Quran instead......

[bytor2112]

Things are heating up.....

[FunkyTown]

Things are heating up.....

I'm slightly confused, Bytor, by the thinking behind attacking NATO troops.

The 9/11 attacks were made by radicals, so bombing random people back to the stone age who happen to share the same religion and/or the same geographical location of people of that religion is wrong.

Some crazy pastor does something wicked and that makes it okay to throw molotov cocktails at a kid out of New Jersey.

I am conflicted on this, Bytor. Really conflicted. A part of me is furious that people are threatening innocent troops for something they can't affect from miles away. Something that, if situations were reversed and a group over there did the same back to us, they'd immediately jump up and say it was radicals.

Another part of me thinks that being threatened in to silence means that this person must proceed to show that the rules of free speech apply.

But I know what he's doing is wrong.

Ultimately, we have to defend his right to free speech, even if people don't like what he's saying.

[Matthew0059]

I don't feel like going back there, but when I first heard about it I went to Dove's website and read about their rationale.

One of the first reasons why Islam is evil (the pastor's written a book devoted to that subject)? It's a religion supposedly revealed by an angel.

I wonder how this man thinks about the Book of Mormon and the LDS faithful?

[bytor2112]

Maybe the "pastor" is hoping for some NEA money....haven't they funded such modern artistic statements like defecating on the virgin Mary or a crucfix in some urine?

[MarginOfError]

Maybe the "pastor" is hoping for some NEA money....haven't they funded such modern artistic statements like defecating on the virgin Mary or a crucfix in some urine?

and Death of a Salesman. Talk about a horror!

[Just_A_Guy]

and Death of a Salesman.

Strike three!

[Dravin]

Am I the only one who keeps on misreading this thread's title as, "Burn a Korean day?"

[bytor2112]

Uh-oh

[Saguaro]

Change of plans thanks goodness.

Florida pastor calls off burning of Qurans - CNN.com

[NeuroTypical]

CNN: Pastor calls off buring Qurans

I dunno. I find it interesting that 1,211 anti-Semitic incidents across the US in 2009 barely make a blip on anyone's radar, despite 29 of those being assaults on people. But someone threatens to burn an Islamic holy book, and good people across the world come out of the woodwork to voice opposition.

My initial not-fully-thought-through gut reaction, is this disparity is because outside of Israel, it's hard to find any sect of Jews being violent anywhere about anything. Whereas we find sects of Islam causing rioting in the streets and commiting acts of violence and murder in numerous countries across the world.

What do you think?

[TL10]

Uh-oh

^ (Westbro announces quran burning if pastor doesn't follow through on quarn burning)

Change of plans thanks goodness.

Florida pastor calls off burning of Qurans - CNN.com

Oh no, why do these guys always make things worse. They do this kinda stuff at memorials for soldiers, Comic-con...

If these guys are EVER going to protest on the Highway of Heroes up here while there's a procession, these guys are gonna get a good kick in the rear the Canadian way...