It certainly is a big relief that the insane threat by the loony American charismatic Pastor Terry Jones of the obscure Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, to burn 200 copies of the Quran on Saturday 11 September 2010 has been aborted.
The worldwide widespread consequence of such a dastardly act is certainly inconceivable if it is actually carried out by the fanatical pastor and his 50-member strong congregation.
Jones, 58, is the infamous author of the anti-Islam bookIslam is of the Devil, a polemic published in 2010, denouncing Islam as a violent religion.
He and his wife Sylvia have been teaching that Islam promotes violence and that Muslims want to impose sharia laws in the United States.
In 2009, Jones posted a signboard outside his church, stating that "Islam is of the Devil". His church members have also sent their children to the school started by the church wearing T-shirts with words stating "Jesus answered: I am the way and the truth and the life; no one goes to the Father except through me. I stand in trust with Dove Outreach Center" on front of the T-shirt, and "Islam is of the Devil" on the back.
In 2002, Jones was fined US$3,800 by a Cologne court for using a fake doctorate title, one of the very common practices even among some Malaysian pastors, especially those with no tertiary qualifications.
The “International Burn Quran Day” promoted by Jones has received widespread condemnations, from US President Barack Obama to our own Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. The leading world Christian organizations, such as the Vatican and the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), and prominent Christian leaders have also denounced the lunatic action of Jones and his church.
In Malaysia, among the first to voice its reproof and condemnation of the matter is the Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM), the coordinating umbrella body of the major denominations such as the Methodist, Anglican, Presbyetrian, Luthuran, etc.
The Rev Dr Thomas Philips, president of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) has also expressed reprehension with the Jones fiasco, saying that “this kind of action is not in the teachings of any religion.”
The most deafening silence on the very grave implication of this crazy action is perhaps the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) of Malaysia, which has not said a word on the whole thing!
I hope the NECF, the umbrella body of almost all the conservative and evangelical churches in the country, is not keeping quiet because there may be some of its leaders or member churches who are supportive of such types of unchristian action by Jones and his church. Some pastors unilaterally support anything American.
The church Jones pastors is known for its support of the Israeli cause, and is said to be associated with the Christian Zionist movement which wants to rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem on the Temple Mount site where the sacred Muslim Dome of the Rock and the El-Aksa Mosque are located.
Any attempt to reclaim the land and rebuild the temple will definitely cause a worldwide uprising of the Muslims, as to the Muslims, the Dome of the Rock is sacred as it the venue where the Prophet Mohammad is said to have ascended to heaven.
The Christian Zionist movement, basically a fundamentalist anti-Islam movement, is gaining support from many conservative Christians, especially those biblically illiterate who do not know and understand what the Bible actually teaches. And we have many such pastors and church leaders in Malaysia who literally venerate anything Israel or American. Some are even adopting worship styles ala the Jewish temple ceremonies.
The misguided theological stance of such conservative churches, led especially by those with no or little solid biblical and theological education, and influenced by the deceptive American missionaries and teachers, is the basic cause of such gullibility and naïf among many simple guileless Christians.
Such blatantly obstreperous unbiblical and unchristian action by the belligerent Terry Jones and his small congregation has brought about shame, dishonor and ignominy to the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It surely is the height of using the name of God in contempt.
The God of the Christians is the God of love, and it was the Lord Jesus who taught his followers to love their enemies, to turn the other cheek, and not to retaliate with force when assaulted or attacked by force.
Sure, we must stand up for our God-given rights, and to protect our human and civil rights to freedom of worship, expression and speech, assembly, etc. But we need to also recognize and accept the rights of the people of other faiths, too.
The tragic terrorist attack on the USA on 9 September 2001 is not the sanctioned work of the world Muslim community, but the unilateral unauthorized action of a small group of fanatical religious terrorists, and we should not blame all Muslims for it, and seek to hurt and harm them.
Similarly, what the lunatic Jones is doing is not consistent with Christian beliefs and ethics; it is simply his own misguided and mistaken interpretation of biblical teachings, not a representative action on behalf of the world Christian community.
We are living in a very fragile and sensitive society nowadays, and there is no place for religious bigotry, zealotry and fanaticism ala Terry Jones. We cannot have bigoted attitudes, and practise intolerance towards those who hold differing views and beliefs from us.
The Quran-burning event may have been cancelled, but the damage to inter-faith relationship, peace, and harmony has already cause a deep wound which will take a long time to heal. And with so many mad Terry Joneses trying to evangelize people of other faiths by unethical methods and questionable means, and provoking followers of other religions, especially islam, by their crazy schemes, the world is surely becoming a very unhappy place to live in.
The only way to win adherents to one’s faith is not to run down other faiths, or by compulsion, but to show by our life and lifestyle the authenticity, genuineness, and credibility of our own faith.
Something is certainly not very right when the NECF, an umbrella body of almost all the conservative and evangelical churches in the country, is not making a vocal and visible public stand on the Jones fiasco. Surely, we need to speak the truth in love, and to stand up and be counted for God in this critical time like ours.
You are writing nonsense, not forthright in vocal condemnation doesn't mean one is condoning it. You are very presumptuous and you are just as guilty as TJ who did the threat. His may be just a silly thought to prove a point but your rubbish crowned it all.
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