What if we Burned a few Bibles?

I don't think I have really irritated or aggravated enough people lately , so I am in sort of an ornery mood and feel like doing just that. So here goes:

I would like to organize a Bible Burning. Yup, you heard me, I would like to organize a Bible Burning and send up in flames as many Bibles as I possibly can. How does that sound?

I hope it really truly pisses you off! Now would like to hear my reasoning, or are you just so blinded by your own irritation, aggravation, and even hatred to listen? I am hoping most will listen, but I know from experience some will look at just a few words and get completely spun up to the level of a hate crime.

Michael Zimmerman's latest HuffPro piece certainly got my attention, just like I hope I got yours. " Why The Quran-Burning Church Relies On Incendiary Verbiage And Outrageous Actions" Terry Jones, senior pastor at Dove World Outreach Center is responsible for planning a Quran burning. Isn't that just so . . . Christian . . . of him. So let me get this straight, we live in a country that preaches religious freedom, right? Why do people tolerate the activities of the hate-filled Dove World 'Outreach' Center? As much as I dislike running up their web page statistics, you might take a look at their website. The nearest Jones and his cronies come to being Christian is their repeated misuse of the word. This is a site filled hatred and bigotry for anyone who doesn't subscribe to Jones' creed of fanaticism. The only 'Outreach' he wants to do is with a burning brand.

Now why does Jones preach this gospel of hate and intolerance? It's because he loves us! He wants to point us on the only path to redemption that his limited mind can see. Everyone else in the world is wrong and he's willing to burn someone else's religious document to make his point. Here, try these rationalizations on for size: "Ten Reasons to Burn a Koran" and tell me what you think.

That is why I would love to organize a Bible Burning. I think if Jones' version of Outreach happens, then it is only fair to balance the books with something that will just drive Jones to apoplexy! Now here is my personal little kicker. I think it's other Christians who should bring in their Bibles to be burned up. In fact let's open this up to 'Burn the Religious Text of your Choice' party! That's the ticket. Let's not be like Jones and go out and order a bunch of cheap copies of one religious book to stoke the fires. These should be your copies, personal copies that support your own religion and you should be willing to donate them for this cause to show Terry Jones and his ilk that he does not represent anyone but himself. That his attitude of hatred is not what the rest of us are all about. That our willingness to donate something we cherish shows the principles to which we try to aspire.

I can easily picture Jones ransacking a local library to remove any text he finds offensive. Because, folks, if we let him get away with this, that is the direction he will be heading. If it's not HIS way, we become less than human to him. We are nothing but either converts or future converts to him. The people who refuse to be converted to his perverse vision are nothing.

I realize that Jones is not alone in his hatred of all things Islamic. But when you look at the behavior of groups like Dove, you see the same intolerance and fanaticism that we witness facing the most radical fundamental Muslim. The only difference between Jones and a fundamental Muslim extremist is geographical. My problem is the message he is sending isn't the one agreed to by this country and it's members. In fact the only reason Jones gets to preach his creed of hatred is because he lives here in a country who will defend his right to believe as he wishes, even when we disagree with him. If only he was so capable of practicing the very freedom he takes advantage of!

It's not that there is nothing sacred, it's that anything sacred has to be above such hatred and such pettiness of spirit as shown by Mr. Jones. Either we are a country that really does stand for religious freedom or we are not. It's time that Mr. Jones got the message. Maybe someone from Jones' own family will bring in his bible for a ritual roasting! Now that would be hilarious!