Praise God! No Qur'ans to be burnt!

I just ran across the information from the Detroit Free Press that the Florida church won't be burning any copies of the Qur'an.  Of course, the pastor got his wish.  He got his 15 minutes of fame, which is probably what this is all about.  It's too bad the press fell for this stunt, which meant that the religious community and political leaders had to come out and tell him no.  Maybe it was the President that got to him -- or maybe that's what he was waiting for.  Not the General, nor the Secretary of State, not even the Pope would do -- But when the President waded in, he got what he wanted!  Besides, he probably made a bundle on his T-Shirt sales.

But the good news is that no Qur'ans will get burnt.

I like the words shared by the Rev. Kenneth Flowers, Pastor of Detroit's Greater New Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church:

"Whether you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, you do not burn another faith's holy books."
I think this is a principle that we should all get behind!! 

Comments

Rial Hamann said…
This is not settles as of 9:45PM NPR broadcast. James is reconsidering.
Ken Silva said…
"Bruce Epperly's essay caught the eye of Ken Silva, the ever vigilant Fundamentalist heresy hunter..."

Indeed it did, thanks to you. Nice tip. :-)

By the way, FYI, I'm not a fundamentalist.
Brian said…
I don't see it as the press being duped, but I know a lot of very good and smart people do see it that way.

When I reflect on history, I observe that our nation seems to engage in public discourse by focusing on a fairly random cast of characters. The example this is reminding me of is the Scopes Trial. It was a school board issue, but it gave a cast of characters to the very real discussion that was going on in our country.

I believe this is more than simply a small time pastor manipulating the press for fame. I believe this is the cast of characters our nation is focusing on as we reflect on the very real (and sometimes violent) discussion our nation is having about Islam.

I hope they don't burn the Korans, but the discussion will continue regardless. Those of us who advocate for pluralism, tolerance, and peace can present our perspective as being reasonable.

I'm glad this pastor is the character that has been chosen for this discussion. He is not reasonable. He, unwittingly, helps those of us on the side of peace.
John said…
I agree with Brian. If it wasn't this pastor it had to be someone else. If not, then the issue would just seethe beneath the surface waiting for an explosion. The issue of toleration is not one to be resolved once and for all, but an issue that needs constant tending, like a garden prone to weeds and other infestations which threaten its vitality and its fertility.

The cause of toleration is better aided by the outspokenness of this pastor and his heinous proposal than by the more insidious and superficial, if not subliminal message of the likes of Glen Beck and his cadre of fascists.

John

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