Playing With Fire, a.k.a. A Letter To Rev. Terry Jones

“Intolerance betrays want of faith in one’s cause.” (Mahatma Gandhi)

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Dear Rev. Terry Jones,

By now, you have let every news outlet in the country know that your plan for International Burn a Koran Day on September 11th will continue. You have made it clear that you will do this despite being denied a permit to do so, despite the departure of several members of your church who disagreed with this course of action, and that you would do this even if former President George W. Bush, who you claimed to respect, asked you not to.

Now, don’t me wrong. I am a strong believer in the Constitution. You feel that your first amendment rights give you the right to do this, and I could not disagree with that. You are also using the freedom of religion card, and again, I could not disagree with that. And since I don’t trust George Bush, I definitely cannot begrudge you for that.

However, I do believe that, in the realm of common sense, what you are doing is morally irresponsible and downright stupid.

For a man who claims to be following the will of God, your actions show otherwise. I know that there are several passages in the Bible show how God struck out at the enemies of His people, so I’m sure that you could use this as justification for what you're about to do. But in many of these passages, it was shown that these acts were done by Him, not for him. Don't believe me? Check out Romans 12:19:

“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.”

I’m not exactly a Bible scholar, but I think it says to let Him handle these things.

I know people who agree with you, Pastor Jones. A friend of mine said that since they love to burn our flags and burn effigies, they should get to see what it’s like. Another said that this will show them that we are not afraid.

The problem with this is that hate can never conquer hate. It only feeds it. Darkness cannot dispel darkness. Only light can do that. And if you notice, even the smallest light can dispel the deepest darkness. If we as a nation, as a people, are to show that we are stronger and better, we can only do that by being stronger than our emotions and better than our impulses. We should the example, not play Follow the Leader. What you are doing is the equivalent of a pissing contest.

Here’s another dose of common sense: every action has an equal reaction. You want to send a message. By burning a Koran, what do you think the reaction will be? How mad would you be if someone burned the Bible? Think about it!

You’re safe in Gainesville, but what about American soldiers and civilians who are not within America’s borders? What do you think will happen to those people who are deployed in Muslim countries when this act occurs? Think they get to escape the repercussions of your actions?

This is not about personal freedoms. What it is about is responsibility. The only way to show that we deserve something is to show that we are capable of handling it responsibly and accept the consequences when we are irresponsible. Face it, Pastor Jones, if anything happens to those people due to this, it's on your head, whether you like it or not. And we all know that God does not like ugly.

I know that nothing will stop you from doing this. Ignorance never needs a reason to be what it is, after all. So, rather than hate you, I’m going to pray for you. To paraphrase Jesus, I'm going to ask God to forgive you, not because you don't know what you're doing, but because someone said that He is the God of children and fools, and obviously you are not a child.

Enjoy your book burning, Pastor Jones. Enjoy your fifteen minutes. When it’s all said and done, you’ll have a few people on your side, a lot of people who will be disappointed, and a hell of a lot of Muslims with axes to grind into your skull. But when you find time to get off your high horse, just remember two things, okay?

First, those that play with fire often get burned.

Second, the last time a “famous” book burning occurred was in 1933. The place: Berlin, Germany. The reason: Nazi efforts to control the population disguised as national pride.

So, when history looks back at this, you’ll be in great company. Just thought you should know.