The main point of my post was to oblige you reconsider your certitude that “Pastor” Jones’ action could not be considered Christian. As I observed, it was certainly not prudent, but that it was not Christian is less clear. Other than the burning of the writings of those formally condemned as heretics (or of writings condemned as heretical even though the author repented and was considered Orthodox) by the the Ecumenical Councils, I am not aware of any officially sanctioned burning of texts by the Orthodox.
The Latins also regard Islam as a heresy on the basis of St. John of Damascus’ critique (he is, I believe, the earliest saint they title “Doctor of the Church”, all earlier ones whose sanctity is seen largely in their writings being titled “Father of the Church”). In brief, the Mohammedans have a false Christology — a sort of vulgar Arianism, that Jesus (or Issa in Arabic) was not divine, despite being born of a virgin, but only a human prophet — and deny the Trinity (other heretics more obviously Christian have done as much), while retaining a belief in the unity and transcendence of God, the general resurrection, the last judgement, the prophetic nature of the books of the Old Covenant, and even that Jesus will come again to judge the world (!!).
If one asks a reasonably knowledgeable Arab Christian about Mohammed, he will tell you with great certainty that Mohammed was a Christian missionary who went rogue. There is recent support for this traditional view from textual analysis of the Qu’ran: there are passages which are nonsense as Arabic, but perfectly clear East Syriac (notably the one about those in paradise being refreshed with 72 houri — which word means white raisins in East Syriac). Some of these are variants of known Assyrian Christian texts.
I would go so far as to speculate that “the Angel Gabriel” referred to in the Qu’ran is actually Mar Gabriel, the Assyrian Bishop of Kashkur at the beginning of Mohammed’s career, founder, or perhaps renewer of a notable monastery in Mosul, there being an old custom that persisted in some of the Syriac churches of calling the ruling bishop the “angel” of the local church (cf. the Apocalypse of St. John, “say to the angel of . . .”, and the still-used titled “Angel of Haran” applied to the Rum Orthodox Bishop of Bosra-Haran). If I am right, at least initially, Mohammed was not asserting (whether under delusion or by outright lying) that the Herald of the Bodiless Powers who visited the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation was dictating to him, but was saying “Mar (Bishop) Gabriel told me. . .” using the old form in which a bishop is called an angel.
Thanks for your information and speculation.
While I do not pretend to speak for Jesus, the one I have learned about my entire life was never such a coward as to do things which HE KNEW would endanger innocent people.
The cowardly cur of which we have been speaking did not go to Kabul and burn the Koran in a public square where he would face the consequences of his act. Why not? Why hide in Florida and leave facing the consequences to others, innocent others?