Posted on 09/07/2010 5:52:27 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. religious leaders joined on Tuesday to condemn an "anti-Muslim frenzy" in the United States, and the head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan warned that a Florida church's plan for a Koran-burning could endanger American troops abroad.
Christian, Muslim and Jewish religious leaders denounced the "misinformation and outright bigotry" against U.S. Muslims resulting from plans to build a Muslim community center and mosque not far from the site of the September 11, 2001, hijacked plane attacks in New York by the Islamist militant group al Qaeda that killed 2,752 people.
Tensions have risen with the approach of both the September 11 anniversary and the Muslim eid al-Fitr festival that marks the close of the fasting month of Ramadan,
Passions have been further inflamed by Terry Jones, the pastor of a 30-person church in Gainesville, Florida, who has announced plans for a Koran-burning on Saturday to coincide with the September 11 anniversary. Jones says he wants to "expose Islam" as a "violent and oppressive religion."
Religious leaders, including Washington Roman Catholic Archbishop emeritus Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and Dr. Michael Kinnamon of the National Council of Churches, released a statement saying they were "alarmed by the anti-Muslim frenzy" and "appalled by such disrespect for a sacred text."
"To attack any religion in the United States is to do violence to the religious freedom of all Americans," said the religious leaders, including Rabbi David Saperstein, head of the Union for Reform Judaism, and Rabbi Julie Schonfeld of the Association of Conservative Rabbis.
"The threatened burning of copies of the Holy Qu'ran this Saturday is a particularly egregious offense that demands the strongest possible condemnation by all who value civility in public life and seek to honor the sacred memory of those who lost their lives on September 11," they said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
To cower is to surrender as they move amidst us.
They’re at war with us but we’re not at war with them. Therefore we cannot win.
I do not think any true Christian would do this sort of activity. Not because Islam is something good - it is NOT; it is right from the pit of Hell, but it is not what Christians are about. We are to speak the truth in love and there is no love here. No wonder this guy only has 30 members in his church.
It is a sad reality that burning a book could endanger any American - civilian or military - and it speaks volumes about the people who perpetrate such violence and hate themselves but I see no good to come of this guy’s little stunt. He could make the same point and preach Christ without resorting to incendiary activities such as this. They already had “Draw Mohammad Day” on Facebook and I think that actually made more sense since it was to show solidarity with the cartoonists who have had death threats and Fatwas placed upon them.
So, Norm, I don’t think refraining from burning a Qu’ran is a surrender, it is just not something I see as fruitful in any manner whatsoever - it does not further the Kingdom of Christ; save any lost soul; nor does it reach out to the Lost in this country or elsewhere and that is what we should be about - our Father’s business - which is to preach the Gospel in season and out to all of the Earth.
There is no “anti-Muslim frenzy” and anyone who says there is is a liar.
Any “religious leader” who tells such lies is an evil fraud.
Part of Stealth Jihad, get the non-muslim religious leaders feeling guilty for the condemnation of islam. Camels nose under the tent.
The deal is the Leftwingtards in this country have now been shown to be speaking out of both sides of their mouth ~ first they want us to roll over as the Moslems build a mosque on top of a Ground Zero site. Now they want us to roll over and not tolerate the burning of Korans.
I'm sorry, their belief that they have the Truth and are Exhaulted above all us Kafir is total CR*P.
They deserve no respect at all. If they want to live here they need to assimilate to our standards. American politicians who want us to crawl before the Moslems should learn to keep it quiet, or just leave.
You agree that what the pastor says about Islam is true yet you object to his stating this truth because you have peered into the pastor's heart and found it to be insufficiently loving to be entrusted with the task of truth-telling.
Got it.
Saperstein is an idiot.
Just saw him and various NCC morons on C-SPAN proclaim their peace love & kumbaya for Islam while glowering Muzzies with their forehead scars lurked menacingly in the background.
“Whenever I hear the words `ALLAHU AKBAR!!’ I reach for my revolver.”
I would not want to ever harm any peaceful muslim person, however, concerning free speech, Christ taught he is the only path to Heaven, so is it love to smile and say Islam is of love when it is not?
Or should one say that they believe it is of the devil?
Which is more Christlike.. Christ used terms like you brood of serpents, he told people their father was Satan..
I respect their right to be what they believe, they don’t respect mine..
Yep. Agreed. As for an anti-muslim frenzy.....where? Everyone I know who is anti-islam is waiting calmly and patiently for a safe, organized and orderly deportation of all muslims from the West back to their homelands where they can practice their cult, undisturbed by us. And there won’t be anymore potential threat from an immigrant or home grown muslim either. Is that too much to ask for? We already have enough problems with illegal immigrants and liberal U.S. citizens mucking up the works. We don’t need anymore of the worlds problems, we’ve got plenty right here.
What you say is true but there is no way I can defend what they are doing. They are trying to cause trouble. It’s pretty obvious to me.
Oh brother... I think the same thing about this as the Mosque. We have free speech in the U.S. and freedom of religion too but building that mosque on Ground Zero is indecent, unkind and just wrong. A loser pastor with 30 people in his church is going to enrage the psychos and I see no good in this at all. Just because we are allowed to do something doesn’t make it beneficial. Even Paul spoke about that.
Dear Muzzies,
Try another terrorist incident here and you’re gonna see what Americans can do when they decide to hate.
Oh, and for whatever it’s worth, I’d like you to tell me how what he’s doing is showing love of any kind. Seriously, now. I don’t need to look into his heart or his mind, I can see his actions plainly. I’m sick of being attacked by non-believers and they always use these jerks as ammo...
I wish you were right but too many people have their opinions controlled by the Left.
In a nation of 300,000,000+, a book burning by a few dozen people is a “frenzy”.
Every negative gesture directed at Islam is multiplied by a thousand, and every terrorist act by a Muslim is divided, or diminished by a thousand.
Burning The Koran is a victimless crime.
My reason for thinking this is a stupid stunt is not because I care about Muslims getting personally annoyed, offended, etc. but because this guy - along with great help from our media - is fanning the flames.
Every negative gesture directed at Islam is multiplied by a thousand, and every terrorist act by a Muslim is divided, or diminished by a thousand.
The post of the day! Thank you.
Here is the pastor's statement on that subject to which I have no objection:
"On 9/11/10 we are burning Korans to raise awareness and warn. In a sense it is neither an act of love nor of hate. We see, as we state in the Ten Reasons below, that Islam is a danger. We are using this act to warn about the teaching and ideology of Islam, which we do hate as it is hateful. We do not hate any people, however. We love, as God loves, all the people in the world and we want them to come to a knowledge of the truth. To warn of danger and harm is a loving act. God is love and truth. If you know the truth it can set you free."
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