Incredible Attention

 Surely, few book-burnings in history have gotten the attention as the Koran burning threat in Florida. Why? There must be a deeper meaning that I cannot pick up.

  We have a 1st Amendment which is good and should be utilized. We have a free press which is good and should be exercised. But, the alarm and the overt pressure, put on the Florida preacher demands some investigation.

   We have the Secretary of State trying to coach the media into having a shut-down of publicity. We have personal phone call appeals to the preacher from the Secretary of Defense. The Secretary of Defense! Also, an appeal from the General on the ground in Afghanistan. I have no reason to question the motives of Gates and the General. It is such a complicated war. But, they must understand the Constitution is also important.

  These people from government must know that coercing the torch from the preacher’s hand does not change a lot of minds, either the Islamics or those Americans, many who feel we are being intimated be the Muslims. And, this intimation will further entrench those opposed to Islamic faith and practices.

  Look, when you are so insensitive as to propose building a mosque at the sight of the attack of 2001by those of the Islamic faith, you can expect reprisals.

  The preacher in Florida was expressing his concern about the aggressiveness, as well as I suppose, some sinister aim of the Islamic faith. Others, are concerned about the same sort of thing. France is writing laws regarding the customs of the Muslims that may be deeded offensive to the French. There is all kinds of questions about the degrees of assimilation of Muslims into the western world, and even cultural compatibility.

  The preacher, despite his method of expression, has been easy pickings for the media. He is a leader of a small congregation. It gets smaller with each newspaper account I read. Soon, it may be just him and his wife, taking on the whole media establishment and government establishment, including the heads of the major parties, what is left of them.

   The Christian faith, has for some time, expressed the feeling of hostility  directed toward them by the media and other powerful and positioned associations. Christians are bombarded by the appeal to unite with other faiths, and be a common brotherhood. Yet, Christian scripture. in the words of Jesus declare that the path to salvation rest in Jesus alone. This scripture is found in John 14:6 in the Holy Bible. So, I suppose, the church in Florida could burn the Koran as false teaching. Such an act could be free of any ill feeling toward the Muslim people. Just, a simple 1st Amendment expression. Of course, this does not have to be carried out in a dramatic fashion, but it can be if that is the chosen method. All, still falls under the protection of the 1st amendment.

  The preacher has struck a raw nerve. A raw nerve in the media and a raw nerve in the political establishment. Why?  Is there some effort to devalue faith? All faith. When you ask all faiths to be “one”, you are devaluing faith! Plain and simple. Earlier in the week, when the preacher was threatening his book-burning a Christian Bible association in Massachusetts was prepared to start handing out Koran’s as a protest to the event. Ugh!

  Well, there is a lot of explaining to do. The reaction to the Florida preacher is just mysterious.