Friday, September 10, 2010
Burn It Up?
My mom and I have both been experiencing blog block. That's like writers block. Only for bloggers. A family member (Barry, when will we finally get to meet you?) suggested to my mom that she write nonsense sentences over and over and her brain would get so tired of it that it would think of something else to write. He even suggested a sentence that I thought was quite funny, but now I've forgotten it. So then I was thinking about what gets me riled up right now and thought I could write about that. The thing I have been most riled up about recently has been in the news--the scheduled Quran burning at a church in Florida. I don't know the details or the people involved, but what I suspect, that a Quran burning won't bring anybody any closer to Jesus. I fear it will make people who are already blinded by their fear and prejudice feel affirmed in their feelings of hate and anger. And as for those folks who claim Islam as their faith and revere the Quran in much the same way that Christians revere Jesus, this is a devastating act that is so offensive it is hard to even figure out what to compare it to. So basically, when "Christians" do something like this in the name of Christianity or worse yet, in the name of Jesus, the last thing Muslims want to do is know more about Christianity. What is this church thinking? What are they hoping to achieve? Shouldn't Christians be going out of their way and bending over backward to help and serve and love Muslims? Why are Christians more well known for what we are against than what we are for? Does the world have any idea what we are for? This whole situation makes my heart so heavy. I could go on and on, but I'm curious--what do you think? Leave me a comment, I really want to try to understand what the average person thinks about this. . .
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i love you. and this. these are good thoughts.
ReplyDeleteWell, I am not the "average person," but I am very upset over this and the "Islamophobia" which is plaguing America right now. For more search islamophobia on time magazine online.
ReplyDeletePart of the problem is "average people," (who I quickly admit I once was) don't care to learn about other people and why they do what they do. It is hard to be educated about every issue, but before we pass judgment we so need to ask and learn. It is not only incredibly offensive but impossible to ask Muslims to move their Eid al Fitr Holiday just because it falls on 9/11 this year-which is what some in America have tried this year.
From what I have read about the Quran burnings in Florida is that this one Paster of a church of 50 people has started this as a way to "negotiate" with the imam over the mosque near Ground Zero in New York. All of this was his ploy to stop the mosque from being built. Because of his treats the entire world is going on high alert for what the response of the rest of the world could be if this church burns the Quran---Bible burnings in Afghanistan, harm to American soldiers, hostility towards Americans (and those living overseas).
The world is a smaller than it has ever been. One man's actions in Florida can effect the rest of the world. We need to recognize this. This means that our call to love our neighbors as ourselves is all that much more important. The world is getting smaller and we have so many more neighbors that we need to love from all continents and all religions.
opps! my comment was just about as long as your blog post! Can you tell you hit a nerve and got me riled up? sorry!
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