Should We Burn The Koran?

Pastor Terry Jones of a small church in Gainsville, Florida says he is determined to burn copies of the Koran on September 11, despite pleas from the White House, the military, the Vatican and Angelina Jolie.

General David Petraeus warned that “images of the burning of a Koran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan - and around the world - to inflame public opinion and incite violence”.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton added her disapproval saying, “I am heartened by the clear, unequivocal condemnation of this disrespectful, disgraceful act that has come from American religious leaders of all faiths.”

What do you think?

What do you think? Is it right or wrong to burn the Koran? But wait. Before you answer that - How did you answer the question about is it right or wrong to build a mosque at ground zero? Do your answers line up? Or, is there any hypocrisy in your answer?

I don’t know what General Petraeus, or Hilary Clinton, or Angeline Jolie think about a mosque at ground zero. But I suspect that a lot of people who have defended the right of Muslims to build a mosque are the same people who oppose the Christians burning the Koran. Don’t the Christians have a right to burn a book that they want to burn? Yes they do. We have freedom of religion… Freedom of speech… Legally, Terry Jones can burn all the Korans he wants to.

My point (to the Muslims AND the Christians) is: Just because you legally have the right to do something doesn’t make it right.

As Christians, we are commanded to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). As a Christian, I believe the Bible is Truth - not the Koran. We must speak it, proclaim it, teach it and live it. But living it means speaking it with love. The Bible tells us to be ready to give the reason for the hope that we have. But to do it with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). The reason I believe the Bible is the word of God is because it was written by 40 authors over a period of 1500 years, with one message: The redemption of man by Yahweh God, through Jesus Christ. I feel that it is important to respectfully point out that the Koran, as I understand it, was written by one man, Mohammad, with one message: The submission of man to Allah, through Jihad if necessary.

It is my hope, that with love, gentleness and respect, I can point out that there is a BIG difference between the Koran and the Bible. The weapons we fight with are NOT the weapons of the world. We do not wage war the way the world does. (2 Corinthians 10:3) We, as Christians, do not use suicide bombs, IED’s, airplanes, or book burnings to get our message across. We, as Christians, should not be concerned with what is “legally” right, but what is right in the eyes of God.

I disagree with the Koran. But I also disagree with a public burning of the Koran in order to provoke those who disagree with me.