Burn the Qur’an? No, absolutely not!
You’ve heard about the so-called “pastor” down in Florida who plans to burn the Qu’ran this Saturday. First, the guy is a publicity hound and his tiny little sect, consisting of no more than fifty members, are infamous in the Gainsville area for pulling stunts. The “academy” he runs down there is, to say the least, weird. You can read their “rules” here. Pastor Michael Walther had these excellent thoughts on the issue of burning the Qur’an:
“The announcement by a pastor in Florida to burn the Qur’an in a public protest has raised concerns by many. Foremost among the concerns is that radical Muslims will use the event and the images it generates as propaganda to incite violence against Christians.
“The violent activities of radical Muslims, the rampant religious intolerance in Muslim countries, and the hair-trigger sensitivity to any criticism of Islam frustrates many non-Muslims. But will it serve any purpose to use their own tactics? Absolutely not!
“The rising tide of Islam could not be possible without God’s allowance. Before we fall into the temptation to “fight fire with fire,” we need to think of our basic Christian principles. Christianity is not a religion that relies on physical force or violent protests. Christianity moves forward on the proclamation of God’s word of grace in Jesus and deeds of mercy done for the sake of our neighbors.
“Luther and his countrymen faced a much worse situation with the invasion of the Muslim Turks in the 1500s. Luther considered this invasion nothing less than punishment from God for a church and a society that had drifted from God’s word. He called the church to repentance and to renewal through the word of God. Could the American Christian church and culture stand a little reforming? I certainly think so!
“And what did he think about the Qur’an? Luther called for its publication and encouraged Christians to read it! He knew that side by side, the Bible would overwhelm the Qur’an with its truth and with its message of salvation.”
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How many Imams have immigrated to this country to spread Islam?
I would much rather see the LCMS seminaries provide for the free education and training of ex-muslims from the Middle East. The newly-ordained would then be sent back to their countries to evangelize and plant churches.
Fight fire with fire, indeed!
The response to the proposed Quran burning illustrates that Muslims have put fear into the hearts of everyone. Everyone is capitulating because they are afraid. Appeasement will not work.
So…the best response is for some nut-job so-called “Christian pastor” to burn a Qur’an? Nope, this ain’t working.
Book burning in Nazi Germany comes to mind. Burned the books of H.G. Wells, Hemingway,etc.
Where are we headed?
Thank you PT McCain!~
THIS ANTI-MUSLIM ATTITUDE HAS GOT TO STOP!!! IT MAKES ME SICK!
Criticizing the public burning of the Qu’ran isn’t called “appeasement.” It’s called “not being an idiot.”
But then again, anyone who does not get this point Rev. Lehmann is one for whom the old saying, “There ain’t no fixin’ stupid” applies.
@Ron Ronglien
There’s a significant distinction between private individuals symbolically burning any book or objects and the members of political party (Nazi) which had control of government doing it.
However, Rev. McCain original point is a good one.
The problem is that the terrorists do not distinguish between private individuals (whose actions are publicized internationally through the American media) and the government. It is all the same to terrorists looking for propaganda.
I am glad to see that pointed out. There are quite a few in the media who want to gloss over that fact in their rush to promote the “Islamophobia” meme.
The pastor in Florida is known in Germany: http://www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/zeitgeschehen/2010-09/pastor-koran-verbrennung-koeln
He founded a congregation of “charismatic” fundamentalists in Cologne in 2002 . They let him go in 2008 after “financial irregularities” were discovered. They’re also saying that he himself represents the very “values” he faults Islam for: readiness for violence and fanaticism.
Also, he was fined 3000 euros for using a bogus doctoral title. Hmm.
Our opposition of this indescribably hateful stance of a minority Christian collective has nothing to do with ‘appeasement’, as Rev Lehmann stated. It is about trying to find a neutral, peaceful collective consciousness, somewhere underneath all that fear & hatred. When Jesus spoke of sin, it was precisely this type of behaviour that he was referring to.. so, where is their logic?
Judas H Priest, even the RCC doesn’t have an Index of Forbidden Books any more! Luther was right.
I must admit I’m confused and afraid. Those who have been opposing the mosque project near ground zero have been told they are intolerant and have been labeled “radical extremists.” We’ve been told that this is what America is about, religious tolerance and freedom. Even the President said Muslims have the right to build wherever because of religious freedom in America.
Then, a nut-case pastor wants to exercise his religious freedom and everyone’s saying he shouldn’t, because that’s intolerant. Even the President said he shouldn’t (Which side are you on, Mr. President?).
So, it’s ok to build a mosque near ground zero, even though it’s insensitive and offensive and even “socially provocative,” but it’s not okay to burn a book, because that’s insensitive and offensive?
My fear is that our own freedoms are being used against us by Islamists and soon, we will not be able to say anything against Islam for fear of “national security risks.”
Which, by the way, is what Imam Rauf hinted at on CNN the other day, concerning talk about moving the mosque sight.
Instead of “bridge building,” like he said the mosque was about, he’s ratcheting up the hype and national fear. Why isn’t he calling on his Muslim brothers and sisters around the world to be “tolerant” of other religions? Why make those comments now, in the middle of this other issue? Because Islam is not tolerant of any other religion.
Thanks, Pastor McCain, for letting me get this out. It has been troubling me all day. And I don’t have any comfortable answers. And I apologize for the length.
There are enough paper books left in Florida to pull this off?
What’s really depressing is the fact that “book burning” only works when books are the main means of communication. We’re moving beyond Guttenberg, people. Burning books doesn’t do anything but produce light, heat, and ash. It really is just a stunt. Since it’s a stunt, we have to ask “what does this stunt say?”
Well, the only thing that this stunt says is that there are some of out-of-touch reactionaries down in Florida that will do anything for some press time. …which I kind of already knew. So… how is this news anyway?
It gives me an idea for a fun game. Someone try to silence me by physically burning every copy of a book they can find and I’ll try to get my message out in spite of you by making digital copies of the text and sending it to people. We’ll work for 5 hours and see who won.
Let’s list the conflicts where book burning was a big deal: Nazi Party vs. The Allies. Nazi book burning is almost iconic… but who won that war again? Inquisition vs. the Reformation. Who won that war of ideas again? Um.. I’m a Lutheran… so… I guess the Inquisition lost. Seems like these guys are adopting the strategy of history’s losers. Kinda sad really.
In the arena of free ideas, Christianity always wins. In the arena of “book burning” and oppression, Islam always wins. Look at history. These guys have no idea that their methods actually help the enemy that they are so afraid of and spell doom for their own cause. They are doing the Islamists’ job for them.
Of course, someone had to bring it up and cry hypocrisy (http://onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=1160612): the fact that, in 2009, the US military in Afghanistan burned bibles sent there in local languages to be handed out by our soldiers to Afghans.
To me, this is not hypocrisy. The action by the US military in Afghanistan, while certainly drastic, helped to underline unequivocally the distinction between church and state which, based on Christian ideas, is certainly enshrined in our constitution. Our military is not there to spread Christianity. Our military is there to defend the lives of American citizens in the homeland by ensuring that al-Qaeda does not again take root there.
On the other hand, while our good pastor in Florida has now had the common sense to halt his action, he still had the idea to burn the Koran. Yet fire is not a weapon put at the church’s disposal — not even at his Pentecostal church’s. We are to fight against any false religion and aberration of Christianity (including Pentecostalism) by the weapons of the Spirit — the Word and prayer — not by a megalomaniac arsonist’s publicity stunt.
In other words, it’s not the church’s job to defend our political freedoms, certainly not by burning the holy books of other religions. The attacks of 9/11 were not directed at the church. They were directed at our nation — and they are being dealt with accordingly to this day. And Christians in the uniforms of the US and allied nations are helping to wage this war — together with their Muslim and Jewish and atheist comrades in the uniforms of the US and allied nations.
My big question still is: What would the burning have shown or proved? “Yes we can!?” Yet why use our political liberties to undermine what our troops are trying to accomplish with lots of dedication in far-away lands? Why use our political freedoms for the destruction of what is cherished by others? No need to trot out “love your enemies” or “turn the other cheek” and all those true and profound goodies. The golden rule, understandable to many, even non-Christians, does the job quite well: if we don’t want members of other religions to burn our bibles, then — hey, just a thought! — let’s not burn their holy books.
Besides, even if and when bibles are burned by Muslims, does their wrong justify our wrong? Vengeance is mine, someone once said in the bible. And He wasn’t a pastor in Florida. Or, more simply put: two wrongs don’t make one right.
This brings up a point often ignored by “bold” Christians in the US: There is still a significant number of Christians living in majority Muslim lands in the Near and Middle East. When we here in the US, protected by our mighty military etc., exercise our religious freedom by burning Korans, what are we doing to our Christian brethren over there who do not have the same protections and liberties? Are we not setting them up for retaliation? Maybe it’s good to walk in their shoes for awhile (empathy).
No, I’m not suggesting we should quake in our shoes for fear of the rage of the “Arab street.” Let’s simply live our lives according to God’s will. Part of this will is to work for the good of the city in which we live, which includes — but is not limited to — joining our nation’s military to defend the lives of our fellow citizens. Part of it is also to mind the church’s business of saving souls by the Word in peace and quietness. — Last time I checked, there were no demonstrations in Kabul because normal people here in the US raised their kids and went to work and to church.
“Luther and his countrymen faced a much worse situation with the invasion of the Muslim Turks in the 1500s. Luther considered this invasion nothing less than punishment from God for a church and a society that had drifted from God’s word. He called the church to repentance and to renewal through the word of God. Could the American Christian church and culture stand a little reforming? I certainly think so! ”
This thought is essentially what Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson said after the 9/11 attacks. I guess they weren’t that wrong after all even though liberal-types, at that time, were up in arms over it.
Does anyone remember that verse in the Bible that says “Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord.”
God is clearly saying that vengeance belongs to Him, no one else. That is why it was wrong for that man to shoot Dr. George Tiller (the abortionist) last year and why it is wrong for that pastor in Florida to have the Koran burning.