It appears Pastor Jones has seen the light. Quran Barbecue canceled.
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Take a moment to read the following from Al Jazeera.... it's short and sweet.
Quran burning 'to go ahead'
[Pastor Terry Jones'] Quran-burning idea attracted wider attention. It drew rebukes from Muslim nations and at home as an emotional debate was taking shape over the proposed Islamic centre near the so-called Ground Zero site of the 2001 attacks in New York.
His actions likely would be protected by the US constitution's right to free speech.
The US Supreme Court has made clear that speech deemed offensive to many people, even the majority of people, cannot be suppressed by the government unless it is clearly directed to intimidate someone or amounts to an incitement to violence, legal experts have said.
Note what I highlighted... considering this comes from Al Jazeera which likely doesn't have the firmest grasp of the rights granted all Americans in the Declaration of Independence and reaffirmed in our Constitution, but considering the Left in this country; their stark deviation from the truths set forth in those founding documents, well, it wouldn't surprise me if many on the Left DO think Jones' right to free speech should be forcibly abridged. Note also my highlighting of the phrase "so-called" as if the site of Ground Zero is somehow in question.
As to whether or not Pastor Jones has the right to do what he intends... on 9/11 no less?
On this, I'd answer the same as Obama did on the Ground Zero mosque. This church certainly has the right to burn any amount of Qurans they wish, but what about the wisdom of doing so? The Quran isn't holy. It doesn't contain the word of character of God between its covers (a simple statement of truth), but doing so would certainly incite violence (in the REAL world the violent have little need of provocation) around the world. To that certainty there's General Petraeus' concern that it will endanger American lives in Afghanistan and Iraq. But I contend that their lives are already in danger by the simple fact of being there.
From a purely spiritual point of view, the Quran embodies the evil tenets of an equally evil religion, and evil should be excised from the body of all mankind-- God himself will do it in time. He's said as much in HIS word. I'm not worried so much about what Muslims will do to Americans in America... the radicals are not going to forego any ongoing plans for murder and mayhem on American soil simply because we shut down this pastor and his decision to be "disrespectful" to the disrespectful religion of Islam. Given the opportunity they're going to snuff out as many innocent lives as they can... as they've planned.
What the pastor is choosing to do is not, in any way I can think of, something a believer in Jesus Christ shouldn't do... in context. Naturally, it's harder to attract Muslims to Christ if you go about pissing on everything they deem holy, but again, the Bible clearly says to come out from among them, and touch not the unclean thing... and Islam is most assuredly unclean.
So, I think it comes down to prudence. This pastor and his congregation certainly have the constitutional right to burn Qurans, but is it the prudent thing to do considering a Christians focus in ministry is to show the lost the love of Christ and witness to his holy redemptive power. A power, I might add, that every other religion on the face of the earth is devoid of.
But I can hear the hypocrites wailing, even as I close this out:
"How disrespectful of these radical Christians!"
And these are the same folk who tell us the Ground Zero mosque is not at all disrespectful to the families of the lost, and this nation as a whole.
Personally, though I have absolutely NO respect for Islam, it seems only prudent to me to avoid burning any Qurans at all, on ANY day. The focus for Christians is to win the lost to Christ. And without any doubt, there is no such thing as a Muslim NOT on his or her way to hell. Christ offers the only hope of redemption. Win them to Christ and they will piss (figuratively speaking) on their own past religion. But do it for them, and you'll only alienate them, and make it more difficult to change HEARTS (first and foremost) and minds.
AND REMEMBER!
The same people decrying this pastor's decision to burn Qurans are the same people who said nothing when the US Government burned Bibles confiscated by US troops in Afghanistan. Islam wants the west to be tolerant of her, yet she's thoroughly intolerant of the west. Go figure.
Feel free to discuss....
I heard a call on the radio regarding this topic with a point alluded to by your final words. The caller lamented, rightfully, that we're damned if we do and damned if we don't. If they call off the quran burning (or the protests of the "cultural center", then they've won and intimidated us into silence. If we burn the damned books or block the building of the "cultural center", then we are nasty bastards worthy of their wrath.
ReplyDeleteOur only moves should be to ignore them, do what we do and provided explanations upon request. No more of this bending over backward to prove our love for all. If our billions in relief for typhoon victims and support for muslims oppressed by other muslims, often at the loss of our own people doesn't convince them of the cut of our jib, they can go pound sand. From what I hear there's plenty of it in Arab lands. They need to get with the program. THEIR program has no room for us unless we want to BE them. It's that simple.