I'm sure by now you've all heard about the church in Florida that's going to burn copies of the Quran this Saturday, the 9th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. The church has received condemnation from people all over the world; from religious leaders to the President. Sadly, Pastor Terry Jones and his flock still plan on burning the Quran this weekend. And all I can think of is Fahrenheit 451.
Book burning is one of the most offensive and oppressive things in the world. When you burn a book--whether it is a religious text, a political manifesto, or a simple novel--you take away some one's right to think critically. How can you know if a book has either good or bad ideas if you can't analyze the text for yourself? If you burn a book and tell other people, "Trust me, it's for your own good," you're not giving people a chance to use their God-given brains; instead, you're just telling people what to think.
There are plenty of books that, I think, we should be discerning about, like Mein Kampf and The Communist Manifesto. But would I burn them? No, because they are relics of the past. They might not be pretty relics, but they serve us as reminders of the past. They are warnings not the make the same mistakes again. To burn these books would be to destroy history.
I don't believe in Islam, but I would never burn the Quran. Instead, I think the Quran should be studied with a discerning eye and an analytical mind, just like with any other book. Hopefully Mr. Jones will get the memo soon.
*UPDATE #1: I should point out that I am NOT making a direct comparison between the Quran and Mein Kampf. I'm just talking about books in general, whether they are controversial or not.
*UPDATE #2: The Quran burning has been cancelled!
writing again
4 weeks ago
Some books should definitely be burned though. Like any written by James Patterson. Or Dan Brown. Or any that have a high heel on the cover. Purely a matter of public safety, those books drastically decrease your IQ.
ReplyDeleteI posted this on PD as well:
ReplyDeleteFAME WHORE!!!! He's getting exactly what he wants. Here's a man that has a church of 50 or less folks that now have the attention of the world. Worse yet, the world is looking at him thinking he represents Jesus..As a Christian, I may not agree with the Koran and it's teachings but burn it?
This same man would be screaming if someone burned a Bible. Most likely he would be demanding the person wanting to do so should be banned from doing it. I saw an interview the other day where he said , I know the Bible teaches us to Love and this isn't an example of Love.. but this is different.. Huh?
You either are Christ-like (Christian) or you're not. Jesus taught If you say love God but hate your brother, you are a liar.
1 John 420-21 puts it this way:
20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
I said in an earlier thread:
You can sit in a garage and make all the motor noises you want, it still doesn't make you a car. Just because someone claims to be something, doesn't make it so. Evidence comes in the proof of the pudding. And he ain't showin' the Love
I for one am ashamed of this man that is claiming to be a minister of the Good News of the Gospel...
Emily:
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Well, if we burned all those books, then we wouldn't have anything left to make fun of, now would we?
Reconciled:
You're right, Pastor Jones is just another fame whore looking for his fifteen minutes of fame/infamy.