A Florida pastor is speaking out in defense of his congregation’s controversial plan to burn copies of Koran on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, MyFoxOrlando.com reported.
"Things like 9-11, Fort Hood, and the honor killings... these are possibly not isolated incidents," Dove World Outreach Center pastor Terry Jones said. "These are things that, if we don't stand up now, they can increase."
The Gainesville, Fla. church made headlines worldwide in July when it announced the plans on its Facebook page
"We have thought about it," the pastor said, "about the danger in holding the controversial event, and we realize that whenever we made this step, that this kind of thing could happen. But we feel it's that important, and the times call for some kind of radical measure in standing up.”
What is wrong with people? How does this in any way shape or form represent Jesus or advance the kingdom Jesus came to establish? How ironic that the name of the "church" has dove (a symbol of peace) in it?
Every time I read a story like this (similar to the one where a pastor prayed Obama would be killed) my heart breaks and I get frustrated at the same time. This is exactly the thing that is turning people off from church. The pastor calls this a "radical measure in standing up?" I recall Peter taking this stance and cutting off the ear of an "enemy" and Jesus rebuking him, and extending his healing hand to restore the man to wholeness.
Jesus said others would know we were his disciples by our koran burning parties, wait, scratch that, he said it would be by the love we have one for another.
I do believe as Christians we have the true message, but as soon as we start wielding it as a sword to cut the "ears" off of those who disagree with us, we have twisted the message of Jesus as bad as those we are protesting against.
Hopefully this will have zero traction and my guess is that the church and pastor are looking for headlines more than anything else, but lets continue to pray that those who follow Jesus, would let "love be the center" and remember those who are far from Jesus (including radical muslims) are not the enemy, but the prize. Eph. 6:12
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2 comments:
Well said Jon...it saddens me too when I hear and see these things.
There is a local church here that goes to the funerals of fallen soldiers claiming their deaths are a result of gays. Yeah I do not get it either.
They even march around with picket signs.
It is truly disturbing.
urgh. this too just makes me beyond sick.... even more so after working with Muslims. Wasn't it Hitler who decided to start burning all the Jewish Old Testiments too? Show the world hate and they will hate. Show the world love and they will love....
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