Death Records Now

Firstly, I want to say this is NOT going to be a, "we can burn the Koran if they burn the American flag, etc" post. I am interested in hearing opinions and getting a true discussion of the matter at hand.

Firstly, there is a issue (largely seen on Yahoo Answers) of people equating burning the Quran to burning the American flag. To put it simply, this is in my mind, ridiculous. The American Flag is a symbol of ideology. And while ideology is often misguided, in this case it works. One of our greatest freedoms (regardless of religious faith) is "Freedom of Speech".

You may not like the fact that people have a right, as stated in the Constitution / Bill of Rights, to burn the American Flag, and in fact, the Quran as well (we will address that later). yes, it does hurt many to see the symbol of freedom burning in some sort of protest. Whether you find that protest misguided or not, a flag is but a symbol of our rights and freedoms. You can burn 100 flags, but the American spirit will live on.

Here is a quote from the "Daily Record" in Gainesville, Florida, "This is a quote from the "Daily Record" in Florida, "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".

A lot of people say this is reprehensible. However everyone has to realize that just as a American Flag burner has a right to do so, so does this gentleman. You may not like it. You may hate it/him. But you can not deny him the right to do it. It is his right. What then, is the TRUE issue behind all the governments and the Vatican, etc denouncement of his RIGHT to do this?

General Petraeous denounces it due to the potential of harm towards American troops in Afghanistan / Middle East. I believe we will see a increase in violence towards Americans if this happens. My only issue with this is that violence is never-ending in any of these war/peace zones. This burning will not cause a fire, only add fuel to it.

Now, a lot of people online say burning the Quran is the same as a flag. This is simply not the case. The Flag is a symbol of ideology. The Quran is a religion. This is deeper then simply a symbol of government. Some people may argue the Quran is simple a book of hate towards non-Muslims. While I have not read the Quran, I find this hard to believe. And to put simply, the Bible (and mot likely all other religious texts) have semblance of violence throughout their texts.

There seems to be a underlying fear of violence to burning the Quran. and this is most likely true. As stated earlier, this will most likely lead to violence overseas. And as stated in many articles, the preacher in Florida (Terry Jones) has himself received numerous death threats. However, in both cases, it’s not the majority or entirety of a population causing violence. Extremists are everywhere for every cause. You can’t condemn a whole people or population because a select few take it upon themselves to represent everyone in matters of violence. To do so, would put you on a level equal to that of the very people you are condemning.

A lot of people are wondering, "then what is the solution to this problem"? I think the first step is to not view this as a "problem that needs solving". This is a opportunity to educate the world on different religions and test one’s faith on proclaimed rights. Read the Quran to REALLY understand what it’s about. Talk to people with the preacher’s view to find out WHY they feel the way they do. What’s most important is to do both with a FREE AND CLEAR MIND. To do otherwise would tarnish pretty much everything you say and/or hear. You can be angry at something once you understand it. But try not to hate, even if you think you have a right to. Hatred eats away at you and in the end, you end up suffering, not the ones you’re directing your feelings towards.

I think burning the Quran is an unchristian thing to do.

Finally, all of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble. Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:8-9)

I acknowledge that this "Christian" has the legal right to burn the Quran in protest of a few Muslim extremists. This right is protected by his Freedom of Speech.

But I think that doing so is a moral wrong. He will intentionally or unintentionally insult and send the wrong message to over 1.5 billionmainstream Muslims with whom he has no complaint. These Muslims are our neighbors whom Jesus Christ has commanded us to love.

We don’t burn the U.S. flag to protest the small groups of far right extremists or far left extremists because it would insult and send the wrong message to over 300 million mainstream Americans.

We don’t burn the Bible to protest a small group of Christian extremists because it would insult and send the wrong message to over 2 billion mainstream Christians all over the world.

We don’t burn the Torah to protest a small group of Jewish extremists because it would insult and send the wrong message to mainstream Jews all over the world.

We shouldn’t burn the Quran to protest a small group of Muslim extremists because it would insult and send the wrong message to over 1.5 billion mainstream Muslims all over the world.

Should you speak sharply to a friend, fear not, you can be reconciled. But a contemptuous insult, a confidence broken, or a treacherous attack will drive away any friend. (Sirach 22:22)

Jesus Christ taught us to build bridges between people, not burn them.

With love in Christ.