Pastor weighing plans to burn Qurans amid U.S. warnings

[John81]

There was a report on the radio this morning that the American army burned a load of Bibles because the Muslims said they didn't want them in their country. Our own military burns Bibles because Muslims demand it but the Commander in Chief and those under him want to raise a fit about one pastor planning to burn a few korans. Should such hypocricy surpise?

[Standing Firm In Christ]

There was a report on the radio this morning that the American army burned a load of Bibles because the Muslims said they didn't want them in their country. Our own military burns Bibles because Muslims demand it but the Commander in Chief and those under him want to raise a fit about one pastor planning to burn a few korans. Should such hypocricy surpise?

I am not sure if this is true or not, John. There are some sites claiming it is, but CNN has nothing on its website. I would think they would have had a report on it.

Thoughts?

[chev1958]

CNN

Military burns unsolicited Bibles sent to Afghanistan Story Highlights

May 22, 2009 (CNN) -- 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.

This decision came to light recently, after the Al Jazeera English network aired video of a group prayer service and chapel sermon that a reporter said suggested U.S. troops were being encouraged to spread Christianity.

The military denied that earlier this month, saying much in the video was taken out of context.

"This was irresponsible and dangerous journalism sensationalizing year-old footage of a religious service for U.S. soldiers on a U.S. base and inferring that troops are evangelizing to Afghans," Col. Gregory Julian said.

The military says a soldier at Bagram received the Bibles and didn't realize he wasn't allowed to hand them out. In the Al Jazeera video, which shows the Bibles at the prayer service, an unnamed soldier says members of his church raised money for them.

The chaplain later corrected the soldier and confiscated the Bibles, Wright said.

Military officers considered sending the Bibles back to the church, he said, but they worried the church would turn around and send them to another organization in Afghanistan -- giving the impression that they had been distributed by the U.S. government.

That could lead to violence against troops or U.S. civilians, Wright said.

Al Jazeera English, a Qatar-based international news service, said its reporters tried to get a response from military officials for its story but were unable to do so.

The U.S. military air base at Bagram is home to thousands of troops from all branches of the U.S. military. The vast majority of the troops do not leave the base and are in various support roles for U.S. troops across Afghanistan.

[HappyChristian]

Its very interesting that our media and president keeps calling the Muslim religion peaceful, but our troops our in danger because someone somewhere decides to burn Qurans? If it reveals what is actually true, that the muslim religion preaches violence, it is almost worth it for that reason.

Christians saved from the Muslim religion keep on calling it a violent religion but no one listens. Christians saved from Islam could burn copies of that occultic book they were saved from - the Quran, both because they have copies of it already - thereby not supporting the publisher, and as a witness to what they were saved from, entirely with New Testament founding.

And yes, the libertarians were first in line to say they shouldn't be allowed to do that, completely contrary to everything they were claiming just last week. I'd like to see the second paragraph above implemented, because I believe the libertarians might be even more against it. And FYI I don't know for sure the pastors aren't doing it that way.

You made a good point, Max - one which my son and I talked about this morning. A reporter who spoke with the pastor was in his office area and saw the piles of korans to be burned. Many of them were those bought by members from Amazon...they paid money to a bookseller who in turn purchases those books from the publisher who in turn will publish more of the same...Doesn't seem like buying them and burning them will really have much of an impact in the publishing world.

But it will have reverberations around the world!

~~~~

Most of us prOBably don't know about the incident in Afghanistan where the taliban spread the lie that soldiers desecrated a (as in ONE) koran and threw a dead dog into a mosque. It was a provable lie because US military didn't even patrol in that area. But it was believed. Result? One dead Afghani policeman, one dead Marine and our military being shunned by those who'd been helping...set back months from just a lie. Now, extrapolate from there what this burning of many korans will result in. Already effigies of Jones (the pastor) and the American flag have been burned in Kabul...

[Brother Rick]

People keep saying that they do things that are much worse and blah blah blah. However, I don't really care what they do. I am not going to justify my actions or the actions of other Christians or Americans based on some extremist measuring stick and say, oh well it's not like I'm killing people so it's pretty mild in comparison. Sure, people do evil things, but that doesn't mean I have to combat it with evil as well.

Are we really having this discussion still?

You're assuming that burning a wicked book in protest of the actions of a wicked and murderous religion is evil.

[CPR]

You're assuming that burning a wicked book in protest of the actions of a wicked and murderous religion is evil.

I'm not assuming anything I'm saying that two wrongs don't make a right. Given the ramifications, this won't help anything. Sure they burn Bibles, but does that make the old eye for an eye right?

The prOBlem is that Muslims across the world don't understand freedom of religion and speech. To them, this action is done by Americans and Christians. To them, if our country and government didn't agree with this it wouldn't happen. Now, that's not the way it works nor should it, but it's still how they see it.

This will hurt what our troops and government are trying to do.

[Standing Firm In Christ]

I saw on the news tonight that Terry Jones called off the burning of the Quran's. He met with an imam who agreed that the mosque would not be constructed near ground zero and Jones said since the imam promised this, he will not burn the Quran's. The muslim community in New York is saying the imam had no authority to negotiate to that end.

I have a feeling the burning will still go on since the imam was not entirely truthful with Mister Jones.

[John81]

I thought the Imman said he never had such a talk with the pastor?

The ground is now fertile for a bunch of "he said, she said" type of back and forths which could flame up passions on both sides.

[Standing Firm In Christ]

I thought the Imman said he never had such a talk with the pastor?

The ground is now fertile for a bunch of "he said, she said" type of back and forths which could flame up passions on both sides.

I will have to watch the news again later, but I thought it said that the imam went and met with the pastor.

[PreacherE]

An imam from Florida met with the pastor earlier. The pastor is saying that the imam promised the mosque would not be built near Ground Zero, but the NYC imam says that is not the case. The Florida imam is saying he only agreed to arrange a meeting between Jones and the NYC imam however.

Fla. Pastor Cancels Burning of Korans

[John81]

An imam from Florida met with the pastor earlier. The pastor is saying that the imam promised the mosque would not be built near Ground Zero, but the NYC imam says that is not the case. The Florida imam is saying he only agreed to arrange a meeting between Jones and the NYC imam however.

Fla. Pastor Cancels Burning of Korans

This is what they are saying this morning, plus that two FBI agents met with the pastor and convinced him to cancel his plans. The FBI refused to comment upon what they said or what was discussed.

[HappyChristian]

Two threads on the same topic...cornfusing!

[John81]

Two threads on the same topic...cornfusing!

Only two? I thought there were at least three or four!