Politician calls Islam 'cult': Church to burn Quran

[John317]

Would you burn any of these holy texts to make a point about your own faith? A Florida church claims the Bible commands it to burn the Quran to win Muslim converts.

Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, lagging in polls in the Republican gubernatorial primary race, according to Talking Points Memo, says he's not sure if Constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion apply to Islam, since, he says, Islam may be a cult, not actually a religion.

Now, you could even argue whether being a Muslim is actually a religion, or is it a nationality, way of life, cult whatever you want to call it.

Ramsey did not dispute the video of his remarks posted at TPM and answered its request for comment with an email:

My concern is that far too much of Islam has come to resemble a violent political philosophy more than peace-loving religion. It's time for American Muslims who love this country to publicly renounce violent jihadism and to drum those who seek to do America harm out of their faith community.

So, are the vast majority of U.S. pastors who would never dream of burning a Quran going to call out the Dove World Outreach Center?

That's the Florida church, which calls itself "a New Testament, Charismatic, Non-Denominational Church that believes in the whole Bible," which posted a roadside sign this month, "Islam is of the Devil" and has now stepped up its campaign against Islam.

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According to Religion News Service, the church is planning "International Burn A Quran Day," on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks this year -- smack during Eid al-Fitr, the Islamic feast days at the conclusion of the Ramadan fast.

The Friendly Atheist blogger Hemant Mehta called up Jones to ask what's behind the burn. Jones tells him this is not about hate but about Christian truth -- and bringing Muslims to convert. Says Jones:

We love the Moslems and hope that they would come to true salvation. What we are attacking is Islam, the religion, and Sharia law, the political system.

Brent Michael Dykes, blogging at Yahoo's The Upshot, observes Christians might be surprised to discover the Quran mentions Jesus 25 times and considers him a prophet, great spiritual leader and teacher. This also adds fuel to the anti-Islamic fires evident at mosque-building protests in New York this month. And Ramsey may have been playing to the crowd opposing a new Islamic center planned for Murfreesboro, Tenn., according to TPM.

Is hate a way to show love? Do you think anyone will be drawn to accept Jones' version of Christianity? Should the government be evaluating the validity of religions?

Source: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/...r-burn/1?csp=hf

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

This reminds me of an old movie I saw where Americans were burning all German books. The camera panned in on one of the books during WW!!: Die Bibel.

[Nan]

I cannot conceive how burning the Quran would achieve anything

positive.

[fccool]

Well, my wife and I walked by the Buddhist temple during our daily walk, and we stroke a conversation with a kid sitting nearby. He complained that people cut off the statue's hands on July 4th and left bunch of Christian material next to it. Very sad and immature.

[olger]

[Guest]

You're exactly right og.

[olger]

Every now and then I get one

oG

[Felix Florimon]

Pondering about burning the Quran should lead us to another question: Should we ever preach to Muslim nations and Muslims everywhere this commandment found in the old and new testament: "Love your neighbor as yourself?"

-- Military personnel threw away, and ultimately burned, confiscated Bibles that were printed in the two most common Afghan languages amid concern they would be used to try to convert Afghans, a Defense Department spokesman said Tuesday.

The unsolicited Bibles sent by a church in the United States were confiscated about a year ago at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan because military rules forbid troops of any religion from proselytizing while deployed there, Lt. Col. Mark Wright said.

Such religious outreach can endanger American troops and civilians in the devoutly Muslim nation, Wright said.

"The decision was made that it was a 'force protection' measure to throw them away, because, if they did get out, it could be perceived by Afghans that the U.S. government or the U.S. military was trying to convert Muslims," Wright told CNN on Tuesday.

Troops at posts in war zones are required to burn their trash, Wright said.

The Bibles were written in the languages Pashto and Dari.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/20/us.military.bibles.burned/index.html

[SivartM]

"There is no compulsion in religion..." (Quran, Chapter 2, Verse 256)

[Felix Florimon]

"There is no compulsion in religion..." (Quran, Chapter 2, Verse 256)

Of course this only takes place wherever there is not an Islamic government such as Japan, the USA, Canada, Mexico, Germany. However, this is not the case in Islamic countries where there is "compulsion in Islam." It's all over Muslim nations. In Iran is a crime legally punished by death if a Muslim leaves the Muslim faith and becomes Baptist, Catholic or a Seventh Day Adventist. In Saudi Arabia is against the law for any Muslim to leave the Muslim become Christian and openly preach about his faith to others.

FF