Quran/Koran burning...not burning

Very brief background before I get to the subject:

Between 1997 and 2005, I had a public forum for my opinions/observations.  At first it was a bi-weekly commentary on Wilmington, NC's public radio station, WHQR FM 91.3.  After that, it was a bi-weekly column in the local paper, the Star-News, a New York Times afflilate.  Because I was a high school teacher at the time, many of the commentaries/columns concerned education, but I was not limited to these subjects.  I was fortunate enough, for a time at least, to be allowed free rein in terms of subject matter (my decision to quit the column was prompted by the withdrawal of this initially agreed upon latitude.)  That's the beauty of blogging--no one has the authority to control you in that way--and as I have missed having a 'stump' to stand on, I would have done this a lot sooner if I'd realized how easy it is to get started.

As a final note, I truly appreciated having that public forum, and was always desirous of using it wisely.  My goal was never to anger, inflame or incite, so I made every effort to be respectful of people whose opinions were different from mine.  My goal was simply to make people think about something in a new way--at least consider it, whether or not they were convinced.  That's why I called the newspaper column "Another Angle" and decided to use the same name for this blog.

I believe that my intention--to offer opinions without causing unnecessary offense--must have been evident, because even though I didn't shy away from controversial subjects and was frequently disagreed with, most of those who disagreed were very civil.  I invite your comments, but hope that they will be offered in that same spirit.



So...on to the subject of Terry Jones, the pastor in Gainesville, Florida who, at the time of this writing, is still planning to follow through on his burning of the sacred text of Islam this coming Saturday, the ninth anniversary of 9/11.

I'll preface my remarks by saying I think it's a bad idea that shouldn't have been conceived in the first place, and should be aborted now.

But, dismissing the pastor as a publicity-seeking ignoramus, or as the worst stereotype of an un-Christian Christian, is not only, I think, unfair, but it allows his critics to dismiss as irrelevant some of the points he makes, and they shouldn't be ignored.

Before you get hot under the collar, I will repeat, I definitely think he should call it off. But I believe he is genuine when he says that he is continuing to pray for guidance, and that when he says 'at this time' calling it off doesn't seem the right choice, it indicates he is paying attention to the criticisms and is doing his best to examine his own convictions and intentions in light of them.
If you are prejudiced against or contemptuous of Christians, particularly those of a fundamentalist nature, you won't at all grant him that benefit of the doubt, I know. I'm simply saying that I believe he wants to do the right thing.

For our part, we should at least be honest about why we are calling for him to stop.  Certainly, part of it is the genuine desire to show respect for the religion of a billion+ people by not desecrating their holy text.

But it's also--undeniably--the fear of the consequences if we don't stop him.  We're not only afraid for our soldiers in Afghanistan, but there are vocal calls by some Muslims for killing any and all Americans wherever they might be found.  Afghanis and others are screaming "Death to Christians" in the streets.  In the name of 'tolerance' towards themselves, these people are screaming for the annihilation of literally millions of other people, all because of the ill-advised decision of 50 people in Florida who are attracting near-universal condemnation from the rest of America.

Can we not see the incredible hypocrisy, danger, and sheer, unmitigated gall inherent in Islamic-ruled nations demanding that any individual demonstration of "intolerance" by a citizen of our country ('intolerance' to be defined by them) must be squelched, while at the same time, they either inhibit or outright prohibit, depending on the nation in question, the practice of any religion but Islam?

They are quite clearly demanding tolerance from everyone else while saying that it is perfectly acceptable that they tolerate no one. And we are buying it! Perhaps because we have become hypocritical ourselves? Think of the following example (information cited in an AP article) The Revenend Franklin Graham (who has called on Pastor Jones not to proceed, by the way) had his invitation to speak at a Pentagon prayer breakfast rescinded earlier this year by the Army, because a "religious freedom group" raised an objection, citing his past remarks about Islam.

What does this mean other than that freedom of speech, at least about religion, doesn't exist here anymore, because you really aren't free to criticize Islam, if you're so inclined? Can it be any clearer that one of our bedrock principles, expressed in the line, "I disagree with what you say but I'll defend to the death your right to say it" is no more?

Christians are still legitimate targets because by and large people don't care if they offend Christians, and perhaps they don't care because they know they aren't going to get killed for it.

In recent years, American museums have exhibited works of "art" that featured a crucifix immersed in a jar of urine, and the Virgin Mary covered in excrement--images which were deeply offensive and painful to Christians. Would they feature a picture of Mohammed at all, never mind covered in excrement? You know the answer is no. And if they defend the first on Constitutional principles and high ideals, but not the second, what is the reason? Plain and simple--it's fear.

Although the pastor has picked the wrong ground to defend, his question of where it will all end should not get lost.