Miami, USA - Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center, a church in Florida that pledges to "stand up for righteousness," is organizing an "International Burn a Koran Day" for the upcoming anniversary of Sept 11.
The nondenominational church, which has "Islam is of the devil" signs displayed in its front lawn, has organized past protests against Islam. (It's also the title of a book penned by Jones. The sign has repeatedly been vandalized.)
"We feel, as Christians, one of our jobs is to warn," said Jones. He hopes that the protests he organizes will offer Muslims a reason to convert.
Apparently, they got the idea from a Facebook page called "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day."
Reaction? Well, according to something called the Religion News Service, Jones claims that "people have been mailing Qurans to the church to burn."
The church is also taking heat for planning an upcoming protest against homosexuality in Gainesville, FL. The church's website declares: "Free speech is hated by homosexuals and they do not like to hear the truth about their perverted lifestyle. We are protesting our openly homosexual Mayor Aug. 2."
OK, so they're going to burn Korans to show the Muslims they hate them, and they're putting together a protest to show gays that they hate them.
I'm having a little trouble understanding their "outreach" theory. Churches and pastors like this one would make Jesus roll over in his grave.
Why do people who say that they're followers of Christ want to act in hateful ways toward those who believe differently from themselves?
Would the people opposed to a mosque inside a community center just two blocks from the World Trade Center find the pastor's actions equally disrespectful?
Does the pastor even know that the Koran affirms that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and affirms him as Son of God? How would these people feel if Muslims burned the Bibles from their church?
There are roughly 1.3 billion Muslims in the world and only a tiny fraction of them are allied with al-Qaeda. Actions like those of Pastor Jones are not only won't endear Americans to Muslims, but will serve as recruiting tool for terrorists. Ironically, Jones is helping the very people he says he despises.
And you wonder why Islamists consider the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan by westerners a "Holy War." It's exactly because of this kind of idiotic pulpit politics.
Jesus says that all Christians must love their friends and their enemies as themselves. The Bible clearly states that if we do not love first, than all our actions are meaningless and of no effect, or worse, they nullify the word of our testimony about Christ.
But let him have his book-burning day. Free speech always has its fringe groups. The best weapon against free speech is always more free speech. Maybe Christians out to pray for people like Pastor Terry Jones by having an "International Love Muslims Day."
"The bosom of America is to be open to receive...the oppressed and persecuted of all nations and religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges...They may be Mohometans (Muslims), Jews or Christians of any sect, or they may be atheists." --George Washington, 1783.