Blasphemy is in the air, it seems. The last day of September will mark the second annual “International Blasphemy Day,” so designated by the Center For Inquiry, a think tank that promotes science and secularism. Meanwhile, you don’t have to wait till then to find numerous YouTube videos featuring desecration of the Blessed Sacrament. In Spain, as Pat Archbold blogged yesterday, a priest struck a young man for desecrating the Eucharist. The fisticuff made headlines; otherwise, it would be just another desecration.
September 30 was chosen for International Blasphemy Day to commemorate the 2005 publication of controversial cartoons of Muhammad in a Danish newspaper in 2005, and the protests and occasional violence that followed. The same controversy recently inspired an artist to propose May 20 as “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day.”
Then there’s this Saturday, September 11, the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and other sites. A fundamentalist pastor with a tiny flock of 50 followers near Gainsville, Florida wishes to dub 9/11 “International Burn a Koran Day,” and plans to burn copies of the Qur’an with members of his church.
You’ve gotta love the information age. Not so long ago, if you were a pastor of a teeny-tiny flock with a name like “Dove World Outreach Center,” you would be doing all right if you landed yourself on page 3 of the local section of the nearest big-city paper on a slow news Sunday. Today, if you play your cards right, you can get figures like General David Petraeus, Robert Gibbs and President Obama discussing the significance and international impact of your actions. That’s because desecrating a Qur’an can lead to threats of retaliatory violence on a considerably larger scale than a blow from a priest, and aimed at innocents, not just the desecrators.
In a twisted way, the whole Qur’an burning controversy might almost seem as if everybody wins. Terry Jones wins because his laughably named “International Burn a Koran Day” suddenly is international news, in a way vindicating his methods by giving him the platform he desires. The mainstream media wins because they get a hot, controversial story spotlighting a poster boy for Christian intolerance. The Taliban and al-Qaeda win because they get a new propaganda talking point for bringing recruits to the cause. And whatever violence and atrocities might follow gives Jones more fodder to defend his attack on Islam, so he wins again.
There will be losers, though. Moderate Muslims pained by the desecration of the Qur’an, along with whatever acts of violence could follow it. Mainstream Christians grieved to see the name of Jesus dragged through the mud yet again. Then there are those whose lives could be lost in despicable retaliation to this shameful act. Finally, those whose souls could be lost to anger, hatred and violence. Of course ultimate responsibility for any such casualties, moral or physical, lies with those who give in to hate and anger and turn to violence. But Jones will not be without some level of culpability, nor perhaps will the media be that lavished on him attention and controversy instead of leaving him to the obscurity he richly deserves.
What exactly is at stake on September 11? What are the larger issues in this rising social advocacy of desecrating the sacred symbols of others? More tomorrow.
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The reasons this is a really, really bad idea are myriad but I have one I’ve not heard mentioned.
If they go through with this insanity, what could the repercussions be? I am thinking specifically of assaults against Christians in the Middle East? What about assaults against those who are publicly known to be Christian? I have real concerns in this regard as my brother is currently serving in the Middle East as an Army Chaplain. He’s known to all around - both in the Army and surrounding areas. He (along with every American soldier) is at real risk from this inane idea.
Too many people have worked so hard (and died in the process) to bring Christ back to the Middle East. This action puts these very innocent people’s lives in jeopardy as they have no protections such as we have here in the States. My entire family is praying and sacrificing that the members of this church are humble enough to realize their idea is really awful and not what God would want.
Rachel, the point you raise has in fact been made by General Petraeus, among others such as Hillary Clinton and Robert Gibbs (and me).
It is very twisted to say “everyone wins.” The “winners” are culture-makers: the media, the Taliban, and the Christians like something out of a Flannery O’Connor story, but the truth of most wars is that almost everybody loses. I wonder if this action, besides being attention-getting at its worst, is attractive due to the lost of a sacral worldview in this grain of Protestantism, the total separation of nature and grace. It’s easy to say to Catholics “Christians burning the Koran is like Muslims desecrating the Eucharist,” and the devout would be horrified and even the apathetic would see why that’s bad. But there is nothing physical, not even a Bible (which are printed in bulk) which are as sacred to Bible Christians as the Koran is to Muslims. Or perhaps there’s no support for Jones’ action outside his flock, but it’s telling that the potential for violent reaction is the main argument against it being put out there. This is offensive even if no American troops were to die—just as no one is dying over descerations of the Eucharist today (although they once did). It is bad in itself and not just bad in light of the consequences (while a real work of art involving Islam might also provoke harsh consequences but not be bad in itself).
Not that consequences should be left out of the discussion. After all, bad consequences are often the rotten fruit of a rotten tree.
John M, great comments. You’re anticipating a number of points that I’ll be tying in tomorrow…
This is about freedom of speech again. The Pastor has every right to burn the koran if he wishes. Freedom of speech is one of the most important concepts for a civilised country. We can’t just shut someone up for expressing views we don’t like, thats what freedom of speech means. All we can do, like the president, is to express our views back and put social peer pressure on him. The soldiers? They are defending your right to free speech, they are doing their job. We are RIGHT about free speech and we are not going to stop. (I’m a New Zealander by the way)
Burning Qur’ans condemned by the Vatican.
Son of Banned, the McCarthy piece is wildly incoherent. To pick just one point, how can he say over and over that there is “no such thing as moderate Islam” when he acknowledges—in the penultimate paragraph, for readers who read that far—that “there are millions of Muslims who are moderate people”?
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same?
(Needless to say, these thoughts don’t originate with me.)
I say I am Catholic. I attend Mass most certainly on Sunday and also during the week if I can. My Lord and God instructs me to live in love and truth. THIS is my faith. Serious study of Islam shows it to be a religion of violence and hatred. It is not a religion of love and peace. There may be some who call themselves Muslims who want to live in peace, but they are not living by the Koran if they do. THIS is why when we Americans ask moderate Muslims to speak up there is only a vast silence. There “religion” is not a peaceful one based on love and truth. Most Muslims have never even read the “real” Koran as it is written in Ariabic. America, with its stubborn insistence on freedom to speak ANY idea (like Hugh Hefner, like Rush Limbaugh, like any shockjock on the radio) MUST speak out about Islam. Even if it means allowing some sad little Florida pastor to burn a Koran. And I’m against burning books. Period. From Catcher in the Rye to the Bible to the Koran. There is a sad bunch of Americans who like to burn books. sigh… Where is the ACLU defending the right to burn books?
What I find laughable is saying that these idiots have ‘courage’. If they were doing this in, say, Tehran, then there would be courage mixed with their stupidity. As it is, they get camera time and a kick, while those most likely to suffer consequences are :
A. American troops in Islamic countries
B. Other Americans in Islamic countries
C. Last, but certainly not least, the long-suffering Christian communities in Islamic countries.
It’s possible the pastor or someone else from this will be attacked in retaliation, but it’s much more likely that the reaction will be, “Those Christians burned the Qu’ran . Let’s go torch the houses of the Christian Copts down the street !”
What does Koran-burning accomplish anyway? This doesn’t help the military, it doesn’t help 9-11 victims or their families, it doesn’t convert Muslims to Christ, it doesn’t do anything (so far as I can see) except get this guy 15 minutes of fame. Not only am I not for it, I am disgusted with this man. I ain’t a hero, but I know one when I see one. He ain’t a hero. (BTw- freedom of speech doesn’t mean I have to
Not only does Koran-burning not accomplish anything constructive, there are all sorts of potential negative consequences for doing it (and they go beyond simply triggering potential retaliations, although that is an inescapable part of it).
“you probably already know this but Islam is religious Nazism.”
That was hilarious. Thank you. (Seriously- do you actually know who the Nazis’ were or is that just the only way you know how to express a negative opinion)? Guess what bro, there is a holocaust happening today and the epicenter isn’t in the Middle East. It’s in the Post-Christian West.
Oops. I apologize for my sloppy paragraph above; I am using an awkward mouse/keyboard set-up at the moment. The content of the second half of my broken-off sentence regarding freedom of speech should be obvious.
It appears that consequences control actions. For fear of reprisal we should not do…..whatever. If my actions/words offend then they should be silent.
This guy in Florida is striking back the only way he can think of. It’s not my way, but he is getting attention. If this wasn’t in the news there would be something else the Muslims would find intolerant and threaten reprisals against that.
We need to grow a backbone and a bunch of 3rd world nutjobs need to grow up.
What is disturbing is that one little pastor in Florida can put the American military in harms way??? WHAT??? General Petraus, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton worried about a minute bunch of Americans burning a book? Has the world gone mad? Yes it has. The fear and intimidation of the Muslim faith continues to silence people across the world. Not just the poor oppressed women who are hoplessly locked behind their veils in middle eastern countries. This fear and intimidation will not silence me. Will I burn a Koran, NO it’s silly and small. But will I continue to search out the truth of Jesus Christ and seek freedom for the women and men of the world who live under the oppressive Islam religion. Yes.
>We need to grow a backbone
It’s easy to say ‘grow a backbone’ in the relative safety of the U.S. The Christians in Egypt and Iraq already have backbones - they face persecution and harassment every day - and it is they, not this ‘pastor’ in Florida, who are likely to suffer because of this.
False. It is possible to claim that the Qur’an offers justification for whatever kind of Islam you want—one of violence and terrorism or one of peaceful coexistence—but the notion that radical Islam is “true Islam” is no less problematic than the notion that “true Islam is a religion of peace.” There is no definitive “true Islam”—no definitive interpretation of the Qur’an. The moderate and peaceful Muslim has just as much a right to his interpretation of the Qur’an as the radical Muslim has to his.
Say, rather, if my actions/words offend then I need a clear idea of the positive value of what I hope to accomplish over against giving offense. Burning Qur’ans if you were freezing to death and needed fuel to live? No problem. You say the pastor is “striking back.” Who exactly is he striking against? Al-Qaeda? Why not burn Osama bin Ladin in effigy? He is striking against Muslims—Muslims who have not struck at him or anyone else at all. He is co-opting 9/11, a day for commemorating victims of Islamic terror, as a stick with which to beat all Muslims.
Little wonder how the crusades got started. With this pastor, I think we are seeing it all over again.
Can I assume that if the Koran burning pastor were a Catholic priest, the diocese would have shut him down already? If so, isn’t that a plus for the Catholic Church’s much-maligned hierarchical structure?
I think this could be funny if Terry Jones did it while dressed in drag and screeching in his falsetto voice. Not that Terry Jones, you say? Then this is definitely “Outrageous!”, “Disgraceful!”, “Offensive!” and all of those other adjectives that belong on a “Machete” movie poster.
Maybe I don’t know my Islam that well, (honest question alert!) but at the end of the day isn’t the Koran, like the Bible, just a book? We Catholics believe THE bible (as a Platonic form, let’s say) is the inspired word of God but that A (single instance of) bible is just a bunch of wood pulp bound in a cover. As such, there’s no great harm done in anyone burning one, right? The reasonable response to someone burning a bible then (for anything other than fuel) would be to say “How sad,” and go on our way. Are we not being unfair to Muslims in assuming that their reaction would be any different? If we automatically assume they’ll retaliate with violence (as the FBI believes) aren’t we selling them short? And if not, why not?
There are two things that might be said about the Center for Inquiry. Firstly, there is always the hope these adolescents will mature into intelligent adults, Someday. But of great importance is the fact that they believe that by knocking religion they are promoting science and secularism. Mature people know that one never gains by knocking someone else. It’s the day these pe0ple ignore religion we should worry about.
The Center for inquiry provides yet another example of the state of denial in much of our society. The truth is that science developed only in Europe. (Yes, the Chinese invented gunpowder and paper, and the Arabs were big in astronomy, but that does not constitute science.) Science developed in Europe under the direct influence of Christianity, as did capitalism, agriculture, commerce and human rights. I commend to all a book by Rodney Stark, “The Victory of Reason: How Christianity led to freedom, capitalism and Western success.” I defy anyone at the Center of Inquiry to refute this book’s thesis.
This guy in Florida is striking back the only way he can think of. It’s not my way, but he is getting attention.
You could say that about Lee Harvey Oswald. Not especially sound reasoning. The guys (through the ratings-hungry media) is telling all Muslims everywhere, “It’s not Al Quaida we hate. It’s you. We make no distinction between Muslims who suffer and die at the hand of nutjobs and the nutjobs themselves. You guys we are training? You’re all animals. We hate you all. No distinctions.”
And Catholics here in this combox are fine with that. Andrew McCarthy is fine with that.
@Jennie-O: the Crusades getting started had nothing to do with Fundie nutjobs in Florida burning the Koran (there weren’t any Fundie nutjobs back then, nor any Florida), and had everything to do with protecting the rights and safety of Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land (something Christians presently living in the Holy Land might actually appreciate a little more of).
You don’t know your Islam that well, Victor. For Muslims, desecrating a Qur’an is the greatest possible sacrilege, in a way closer to (though not on a par with) desecrating the Blessed Sacrament than desecrating a Bible. Hint: For Catholics, the Bible points to Jesus and his saving acts, through which God definitively reveals himself. What definitive revelation does the Qur’an point to? None; the Qur’an itself is the definitive revelation. I’ll get into this more in future posts.
Eek. In that case I can see why folks would be ticked if other folks started burning their holy book (but they should leave our effigies alone, too, while they’re at it!).
The politics of blasphemy is too depressing. Can we talk about the politics of dancing instead?
To victor: THE Bible is the inspired word of God to all Christians and therefore All Bibles are the inspired word of God. To Catholics,if a Bible is blessed, which it would most likely be, it SHOULD only be destroyed by burning so that it would not be desecrated. You wouldn’t want something Holy in a trash heap. What I haven’t heard in any of this discussion is anything resembling Christian action. Why haven’t fellow Christians gone in person to speak with this minister and discuss this AS Christians. He is obviously in tremendous pain over this issue. Do people enjoy talking about him more than loving him?
“There is no definitive “true Islam”—no definitive interpretation of the Qur’an. The moderate and peaceful Muslim has just as much a right to his interpretation of the Qur’an as the radical Muslim has to his.”
Sorry, Stephen, but you are wrong. The moderate Muslim who uses an English translation of the Koran does NOT have as much right to his interpretation according to. The Koran is an Arabic book. Only the Arabic version of the Koran is considered authentic. That’s why it’s so important that Muslims learn Arabic. Translating the Koran into other languages is tolerated in order to evangelize. It’s why Muslims pray in Arabic, it’s the only true way for them to pray. Unfortunately many of them do NOT know what the one true authentic Koran actually says because they do not speak or read Arabic.
Pete, do you speak or read Arabic? Also, are you categorically claiming that there are no moderate Arab-speaking Muslims or imams?
This whole topic of blasphemy is huge…in that it is difficult to get
through a single day without witnessing in this fallen world multiple examples ...from people unwittingly taking the Lord’s name in vain (cursing) to hearing His Name blasphemed in general news and in almost every film out of Hollywood, even the seemingly most innocuous! to now every novel or work of fiction I pick up the author has to have exposed the profanity of at least one character. Recently on the Ed Shutlz show
a commentator in discussing the current brohaha over the building of a mosque near the 9/11 site used the name of our Lord in vain. I tried to protest since this is supposedly against FCC regulations to no avail! I also alerted the Catholic League ( Bill Donahue) but again to no avail.
I would quess it is so wide spread they have to “pick and choose” the battle to engage! So Blasphemy Day? If only it were just a day! I recently heard Fr Groeschel on EWTN discuss this descecration of the name of the Lord ...and he said it is because of the power of the name of the Lord that people in their anger,etc blurt out habitually His Holy Name…and for example no one blurts out “Napolean Boneparte”! Lord forgive us our blasphemy…this is a whole ministry in itself!!
Victor, I thought my point would be more obvious than it was apparently. The parallel that I am drawing on is one of retaliation and retribution by Christians done out of a fear that the Muslims intend to take over our land. That is exactly what is happening with this pastor in FL, and that is exactly what happened with the crusades. The fact that Muslims certainly may intend to do just that (take over our land) is not pertinent to my point. How we respond to them is the reason for my post. I see this FL pastor as responding in the Crusader fashion, an eye for an eye. This type of response follows the logic of justice. I believe we should rise above that and respond in an assertively honest but respectful and nonviolent fashion, much like Pope Benedict XVI does with them. This type of response follows the logic of grace.
One questions HOW this little known pastor of an even lesser known faith with only 50 adherents EVER made it to the big time media? I could do the most outrageous act of blaspheming the Islamic faith at high noon in front of my local town hall (which I quess being in the center of this small town would catch afew locals attention)and it would maybe not make even our weekly newspaper. It makes you wonder what the real “power” is behind this story? Is it due to the 24/7 aspect of the news industry today that there exists such a hunger to fill up all those non-stop broadcasts such little otherwise “nothing” stories make it to the inter-national scene? Interesting that the Pastor announced well enough ahead to get the media attention and the time to expose the story well in advance….time enough to whip the story up to such a frenzy that we are having reactions from the Pope to the President to Generals, etc.
Hi Jennifer: I don’t really see burning the Koran as an act of retaliation for a Saracen conquest of our land; at least it’s not a retalitory act worthy of a Crusader. Burning a Koran is an act more worthy of a filthy hippie (who famously burned draft cards, bras, American flags) than it is a Crusader. And filthy hippies make notoriously bad Knights Templar.
In July the U.S. military commanders in Afganistan burned hundreds of Bibles - printed in the two dominant tongues of the Afghan people- for fear of offending the Muslims, and to keep the Bibles from being handed out to Afgan Christians and Muslims. No outcry was heard from the Secretary of State, the Pope,the President,theU.S.Military nor the bulk of the U.S.media. But when a unknown pastor in a small church in rural Florida plans to burn a Quran..the Western elites cry out in dismay and disbelief! Why the double standard? Some will say because the Christian religion is truly a religion of peace and love. Still others will insist that it is the Islamic religion that preaches peace and non-violence.We should know the truth of that statement come this Saturday and what follows. Not that we don’t have hundreds of years of history that tell us the real answer. The double standard is obscene….and the Christian
truth is being distorted. See St Paul who oversaw the burning of the
“sacred” books on witchcraft(Acts 19:19) and also Rev.21:8. More mis-
placed compassion in the name of Christianity is being displayed through out the media…and the Muslims see this as weakness…and fuel for their own fires of destruction upon the Christian world.
Victor, We’ll have to agree to disagree. Because I know the Muslims revere the Koran like we Catholics revere the Eucharist. So, (though I know they need no excuse for a jihad with us) they will see this as retaliation and it will only perpetuate the disrespect back and forth. This is a major poke in the eye to them.
We can debate endlessly whether it is wise and prudent to support Pastor Jones ( few seem to) or to “turn the other cheek"as it were and to denounce this action(the burning of the Koran).The more we debate and call attention to this single act of an unknown(hitherto)pastor we enter into the act of desecration by “keeping it alive”...this is not a matter of real consequence w/o the intervention of all of us “keeping it alive” within the media. The media has a responsibility for the growing enormity of what would have been a largely unknown act of little consequence outside of the town/parish where Pastor Jones presides…where few if any Muslims reside. The “winners” here are none but the media and the Western Elite who brought further attention by their comments. I am not suggesting suppression of free speach…rather the responsibility of the editorial boards of the international media. Few lives would be affected by the suppression of stories like this…while apparently many will be adversly affected by its un-necessary publication. It would seem in a better time this incident would have fallen under the category of news not worth printing.
I agree with Shamrock that this was news best not dealt with. However, once it became a jumping-off point for some of trolls who posted earlier, it becomes an opportunity to discuss a lot of important issues…
What John M. said. I myself indicated in my post that I think the story didn’t deserve to get reported—and I explicitly said that the media has some culpability in this. But now that the story has in fact gone viral, it does raise issues worth discussing.
My mom has always said: “son, if you have faith, nothing hurts or srikes you”. I know she is right
Comparing this to the book-burning in Acts 19 is a flawed analogy. In that instance, the converts were burning books of magic which they themselves had used for sorcery. Destroying them represented a repudiation of their former sinful practices. If Terry Jones was a former Muslim who decided to burn his copy of the Koran to symbolize his break with Islam, I’d be somewhat more sympathetic. However, what he proposed to do is more akin, symbolically, to a raised middle finger. Needless to say, that’s not Christlike behavior.
Incidentally, this also raises an interesting question: where is Pastor Jones planning to get copies of the Koran for his bonfire? If he buys them, thereby giving financial support to Islam, doesn’t that undermine his intent?
“It is possible to claim that the Qur’an offers justification for whatever kind of Islam you want—one of violence and terrorism or one of peaceful coexistence—but the notion that radical Islam is “true Islam” is no less problematic than the notion that “true Islam is a religion of peace.” There is no definitive “true Islam”—no definitive interpretation of the Qur’an. The moderate and peaceful Muslim has just as much a right to his interpretation of the Qur’an as the radical Muslim has to his.”
That’s going into my quote file.
What, no free speech, Steven? You’re acting like a muslim.
wattpuppy, if you feel your First Amendment rights have been violated by my refusal to host your hate speech on this blog, feel free to retain a lawyer.
Retaliations have already happened - and no doubt will continue:
http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/headlinenewsd.php?hnewsid=2277
Pray for Christians living in the east. Their voices are rarely heard.
N, thanks for that. It’s a good reminder that all the fuss about consequences focused on “our troops” who are armed and trained to take care of themselves. Local Christians are far more vulnerable and likely targets, but nobody expressed concern about them. It’s also gratifying to see Christians attesting that local Muslim authorities as well as the Pakistani government are standing up for them even as violence takes place at the grass roots level.
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