Posted on 09/09/2010 10:48:10 AM PDT by Doomonyou
A Bad Idea
International Burn a Koran Day
By: Chuck Colson|Published: September 8, 2010 5:00 AM
Remembering the terrorist attacks of 9/11 is something we should do. But there are appropriate and inappropriate ways to do it.
Pastor Terry Jones’s thoughts about Islam are simple and direct. The title of his book says it all: Islam is of the Devil. The same thought is on a sign outside of his church, the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, and on the T-shirts and coffee mugs the church sells.
In order to raise greater awareness of the dangers of Islam, Jones has designated 9/11 as “International Burn a Koran Day.” According to their Facebook page Jones hopes, and I quote, “To bring awareness to the dangers of Islam and that the Koran is leading people to hell. Eternal fire is the only destination the Koran can lead people to so we want to put the Koran in its place—the fire!” End quote.
Every Christian believes that no man can come to God but through Jesus Christ. That’s not a bigoted remark, that’s simply the truth claim that underlies Christianity. And I would expect that Muslims would tell me that my religion, Christianity, is a false religion.
The unique thing about the United States is that we are prepared to fight for and defend every single individual’s right to his or her choice to practice the religion of their choice. We learn to respect our differences in a free, pluralistic society.
I have also referred repeatedly on BreakPoint to the dangers of the Islamist movement, which is an ideologically extreme perversion of the Islamic faith. And this is why so many armed conflicts around the world involve Muslims—often fighting other Muslims.
And the attempts to inject parts of Sharia Law in the United States and Britain are a hazard to our constitutional order.
All that being said, I find Jones’s plan to burn the Koran foolish and contemptible. It poses dangers Jones has either overlooked or chooses to ignore.
As Dr. John Rankin, president of the Theological Education Institute correctly notes, if Jones burns the Qur’an, “the images will reverberate on the Internet internationally, and this could lead to unparalleled fury in the Muslim world.”
And most of that fury will be directed into violence against Christians in Muslim areas throughout the world. If Jones goes through with this horrid plan, people—Christian people—will suffer and some will die.
General Petraeus has even expressed fear for our troops in Afghanistan.
Second, Rankin comments, “The Gospel would thus be slandered.” The Apostle Peter tells Christians that we are to be good apologists, but as we give people reasons for our hope in Christ, it has to be “with gentleness and respect.”
Burning the Koran will be taken as the height of disrespect by the Muslim world where copies of the Koran are treated as sacred objects and are handled with the utmost care and reverence. Nothing in the Bible encourages us to treat Muslims or any other religious group with this kind of contempt.
Rankin concludes, “The stakes are high in terms of the reputation of the Gospel and protection of innocent lives in tinderbox sections of the Muslim world.”
My most fervent prayer is that Jones will reconsider and cancel the Koran burning in the name of the Gospel of Peace.
Part of a Christian worldview is the ability to articulate what we believe and why we believe it in the face of competing worldviews like Islam. But we detract from our witness if we allow anything except the Gospel to offend our unsaved neighbors.
Here’s my take on it:
Pastor Terry Jones should screw the mainstream media by not showing up on Saturday. Think about it—the networks have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to move all their resources to Gainesville,Florida, for a spectacle that they believe will stir up a catastrophe.
They have rented hundreds of motel rooms for their crews; rented or bought other goods and services—all of this boosts Gainesville’s lagging aconomy.
Now, Terry, stand them up. Don’t go to your church on Saturday (take off for an unknown location.) Let the Gainesville cops and the Sheriff’s office stand there all day, wasting precious LEA resources. Let them all sweat in the Florida sunlight, munched on by mosquitoes and gnats; wasting a good Saturday when they could be home watching football!
Screw MSNBC; CNN; and Al Jazeera. Screw the mayor of Gainesville. Screw all the blithering idiots who will come to looky-loo or to protest. Make it a non-event.
After all, people—if Anderson Cooper was going to be YOUR date—would you show up???
Be a no-show and rip them all off!
Uh, you might want to read the history of islam, Mr. Colton
“Why oh why does this remind me of the Nazis???”
Because it’s evil. Hopefully the people saying that kind of thing are just spouting off thoughtlessly.
Sort of ‘Jesus is my Lord and Savior but He was wrong about caring for the poor, that’s socialism. He was also wrong about loving your enemies for that makes him a terrorist supporter. Now I’m going to strap on my 40 caliber and advocate killing my enemies. It is my duty to bring Jesus up to date. I say this is a religious war and it is my duty to start Armageddon so the Jones’ spaceship can take me up.’
It seems that this guy is drunk on endtimes Koolaid and his 15 minutes of fame are fleeting.
Right, thanks...and I also don’t have the ability to comfortably wear blinders and see and think only what I want.
That’s it?
Chuck Coloson is against this koran burning based on comments from an extremely liberal theologian and a general who burns Bibles?
Why not add in Obama’s comments too? (”stunt”)
Yeah. That’ll convice us.
/sarc
I am glad you understood my sarcasm. Our problem is that there is no sense... common or otherwise... in our government today. Rush is on top of this right now. The imam of the VICTORY mosque has threatened us today with “radical elements within the United States as well as overseas” killing Americans. America is going to allow political correctness to destroy our Nation... if Patriots do not step up. This imam is not a citizen... he has threatened our nation and our people... he should be deported and sent to yemen... with a GPS chip under his skin. Drone bait.
LLS
Looks it it has allready happened.
my comments have just been removed!
Wow this was quick. Ok i admit i´m against genocide so
this is enought to remove my posts?
I like your thinking.
LLS
Maybe they were reading too quickly and didn’t pick up on your irony? A lot of the “kill ‘em all” posts just got deleted, too.
LLS
I personally think what this guy is doing is poor representation under NORMAL circumstances, I think we all do. However, in the current environment, I also believe it is the proper stand to take. He obviously picked the koran for a reason; that is, to bring light to the hypocrisy we see every day from everyone not Christian and also a lot of those who are Christian.
Is this guy a nut or not isn't the argument. Is he right or wrong isn't the argument either. The point is that islam is evil and islam does not want peace with us. We have a sitting "president" (and I use that term loosely) speaking out in favor of religious freedom to build a damn muslim center at the WTC site, but yet he wants to condemn the burning of this muslim comic book.. even though it's Ok to burn a US flag or a real bible. Niether would make the news and if it did, he would defend it in principle.
Muslims all over the planet are screaming out loud about this and how we are not accepting them or being tolerant of their views, but don't really care how many Americans they insult by building a muslim center in Manhatten right next to the spot where the same bastards murdered 3000 of our citizens in the name of islam, in fact, insulting us is their mission. Not just screaming, but threats of violence. This is the very definition of terrorism and why this is proof positive that ALL muslims are intolerant and have NO intentions of living with us in peace. Oil and water do not mix no matter how badly anyone may wish it could be done. These people are a threat to not only our freedoms, but our very existence in the end. Now they have ally's in our own government, military and citizens. Some know the truth and support the downfall of America and Christianity, others are oblivious fools following the word of their local politician or revered "president".
To back down in the face of threats is a defeat for our culture and a win for the islam that wants us destroyed. In fact, it will only make them more bold in their conquest. Koran burning should be a part of Sunday services from this day forward. It's time to take this up a notch and deal with it rather than hiding from the truth about islam and it's evil intentions. Muslims and liberals only see their side of things, backing down now will not convey any message of peace by God, it will to them just be a sign of weakness.
If our "president" is going to preach about freedom, he needs to get a better grasp on it's definition. The remarks from him lately make me lean more every day toward the real possibility that he IS one of them. I try to be agnostic about the subject and wait for proof, and that proof is getting more clear every day. What other possible reason would he have to take a side at all on this issue?
Being a good American or a good Christian would ask that you not provoke things like this just for the heck of it, and I don't think this guy is. In my humble opinion, he's had enough of this imbalance and is making a public stand in an effort to expose the hypocrisy for what it is... to show the truth about it and the truth about islam.
Have on crossed that line of lunacy here? Are there really that few of us who can see the real meaning of this all and the injustice in it?
May the Lord and all of his grace and power hold our hands through this and allow us to stand for all that is right, giving us the courage to face this dark evil and allow the word of God to prevail in peace.
Maybe the mods will enjoy deleting Winston Churchill on the subject...
“Winston Churchill On Islam
A quote from an 1899 book by Winston Churchill, “The River War”, in which he describes Muslims he apparently observed during Kitchener’s campaign in the Sudan
How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property - either as a child, a wife, or a concubine - must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.
Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen; all know how to die; but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science - the science against which it had vainly struggled - the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome.
Winston Churchill”
If the pastor owns this Koran, I have no problem with him burning it or any other book.
No, what it proves is that we will cower to the threat of Islam.
You say this guy represents all Christians?
Do you believe terrorists represent all muslims?
Excellent post. This is what the truth is.
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