UPDATE: A reader informed me that the burning has been canceled.
Great News!
A pastor, Rev. Terry Jones, is planning on burning a Holy Book, the Qur’an, this 9/11:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) – The leader of a small Florida church that espouses anti-Islam philosophy said Wednesday he was determined to go through with his plan to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11, despite pressure from the White House, religious leaders and others to call it off.
“We are still determined to it, yes,” the Rev. Terry Jones told the CBS Early Show.
Jones says he has received more than 100 death threats and has started wearing a .40-caliber pistol strapped to his hip since announcing his plan to burn the book Muslims consider the word of God and insist be treated with the utmost respect. The 58-year-old minister proclaimed in July that he would stage “International Burn-a-Quran Day.”
Supporters have been mailing copies of the holy text to his Gainesville church of about 50 followers to be incinerated in a bonfire on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Gen. David Petraeus took the rare step of a military leader taking a position on a domestic matter when he warned in an e-mail to The Associated Press that “images of the burning of a Quran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan – and around the world – to inflame public opinion and incite violence.”…
…(read more)…
It is ironic that while this pastor has the Constitutional right to do what he is doing. It is anything but advisable. Similarly, the Ground Zero mosque is likewise Constitutionally protected. But it is anything but advisable. Neither build bridges. Neither engender kind feelings towards a major religious view. Both engender feelings of ill will. Death threats coming at a higher rate from the Islamic side I am sure. This has everything to do with the belief in a Unitarian god and is not a discussion worthy of this post.
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In fact, the people that say the mosque at Ground Zero (typically called the “community center” by the left) is no big deal should be saying that burning the Qur’an is no big deal as well. I assume they would argue that burning a Holy Book would be hurtful and insensible to the followers of that book. I would agree. JUST LIKE 72% of American’s and 68% of New Yorkers saying the same about the placement of a mosque. The only reason “we” argue against this mosque being in that particular spot is that it would be hurtful to those who have scars from that event (which apparently is 72% of American’s – me included). Let alone the families who lost loved ones and friends in that attack.
All the talk of the Constitution and free speech and right to worship whatever you wish to worship are all not part of our argument. Yet, this is how the argument is always framed… straw-men are built, then they are torn down. The Left does not even talk to us, they talk to a caricature of us and then defeat this caricature of us [in their own minds].
I am posting this for the same reason I have posted against the mosque. This act should not be done! It has no net good in its value. Neither does the rigidity of the mosque backers. Except, even the most crazed Christian denomination is not violent for the most part… unlike the most crazed version of Islam. So I can say that while not ALL Muslims are terrorists, almost all terrorists are Muslims.
Now why, you may ask, would I end such a nice post about reasons why both the pastor burning Holy Books (I would have problems with him even burning Anton Szandor LaVey’s Satanic Bible [which I own and have read cover-to-cover as well as Crowley’s Book of the Law. They are part of my occult section of my home library.]) and the mosque builders are wrong? I will tell you why. Because the money coming into this project will be dirty. For instance:
Take note moderate Muslims are worried about the same topic. This is not an issue that is right vs. left, it is moderate Muslims and 72% of American’s saying in some way the same thing.
UPDATED 9-9-2010: This video shows they are a fiery Pentecostal church who no doubt misapplies many parts of Scripture to supports all sorts of activity (like a slightly shorter leg becoming “longer”).