OK, Let's Go Over This Question Again, Slowly, So Even Fundamentalists Can Understand It

Burning books is a reprehensible thing to do, even if you are convinced the books you are burning are reprehensible. OldSouth has been over this with ya'll once already.

OS, like so many, was cradle-born Southern Baptist (No longer, but still a conservative Protestant. Another story, another day perhaps.) What that meant was, that every child learned his Bible, front to back. We had Sword Drill on Sunday nights, when the teacher would call a chapter and verse and we little ones would scurry to find the passage first in our copies of the King James Bible (which, of course, was the one written by the Almighty Himself, for the benefit of all English-speaking and right-thinking people everywhere). We knew that book cold, and OS is forever grateful to all those adults who gave so much of their time and energy to make certain that happened.

Never, not once, does the Good Book ever endorse burning books. Golden calves, yes. The Prophets of Baal fared pretty badly at the hands of Elijah on Mount Horeb if memory serves. Our Lord, in his days upon earth, did have his words eventually recorded by his followers. There's a good bit of overlap in the three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew/Mark/Luke), and nope, not one endorsement of burning books one takes offense at. The Master directed his most acid words at bankers, lawyers, and fundamentalist legalistic nutter clergy types--the type who prey upon the emotions, hopes and finances of humble people. In the end, they got together to perform judicial murder upon Him, proving His point in the process.

This last week, against all sane advice, it appears a nutter preacher in Florida staged a Koran barbecue. In America, that's protected Free Speech. Black-letter law, no argument about it. In Afghanistan, some other nutter decided the response to that should be to stage a suicide bombing, and kill a bunch of UN aid workers. That's murder, and unspeakable tragedy.

And there is no excuse for it. Period. Even if the Florida nutter incinerates a thousand Korans. It's ink on paper, just like those KJV's we used in Sword Drill in that Breeko-block little church. The content matters, not the newsprint.

But what OS wishes to repeat, for all who might read, is this: The Florida nutter is exercising his American right to Free Speech. That doesn't make him a Christian, and what he did was not a Christian act, in any possible definition of the word. It was done to draw attention to himself, to piss people off, to create headlines and controversy. Our Lord did not behave that way, except on one occasion, for very specific reason, and never out of malice. He did not endorse that method of operating in the world, nor did any of his immediate circle, when it came time for them to write down their accounts.

The nutter set a tragic chain of events into motion, giving another nutter an insane pretext to commit a foul act of mass murder. Florida Nutter did not 'cause' Afghan Nutter to commit murder, but he certainly helped set the stage.

Whatever this nutter in Florida is, he is not Christian. This is not the practice of Christianity. He is a heretic, plain and simple.

And a nutter. (Did OS mention that already?)

And heresy always, in the end, breeds tragedy.

The Depressing Thing About Religious Nutters Is...

...they seem to come out of the woodwork in groups.

Again, if you're reading from overseas, curious about America, these folks are not practicing any recognizable form of Christianity, and represent the tiniest of minorities in the U.S. Anyone who claims these people are mainstream are profoundly mistaken.

This ain't Christianity, ya'll.

These people are nutters.

And this ain't the American Way.

These people are nutters.

On The Road For A Few Days

OS is traveling on business. He'll be back, undoubtedly with tales to tell.

In the meantime, anything nasty anybody wants to say about the nutter who thinks it's a good idea to burn the Koran on Saturday, feel free. And, OS would be flattered if you would pass his previous post along.

Keep safe, ya'll.

OS

Burning Books Is Reprehensible, Even If You Think The Books Are Reprehensible

General Petraeus is a sober soul. He makes decisions every day that may determine the life expectancy of many people in his care.

He thinks that the proposed public burning of the Koran by the Rev. Mr. Jones, head of the 50-member Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., is not an act of a sober person.

He's right. His public statement is mild and measured, but unmistakable. And deserves to be republished over and over again in the next few days.

Again, OS is a devoted conservative Christian, and no fan of Islam. But, whatever Mr. Jones may be doing at his 50-member Dove World Outreach Center, he is not, repeat is not, practicing any recognizable form of Christianity. This sort of whack-job nonsense treads all over the Fourth Commandment--the one about not taking the name of the Lord in vain, or as one more modern translation puts it, not misusing the name of the Lord.

Then there is response of our Lord when queried about the Greatest Commandment. His response: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and strength. And then he said, 'The second is like unto it--love your neighbor as yourself.'

Not a hint anywhere about burning anybody's books, not even remotely about it.

OS could go on and on. Ya'll get the picture, he hopes.

In the meantime, this whack-job hits a bit close to home this week. OS has an unavoidable business trip that involves flying into Yew Nork City on Saturday, September 11. He's never enthusiastic about flying to that place, especially on that date. Now, this nutter decides to tell the world he's decided to burn a Koran on September 11.

Great. Just great. Thanks, Reverend. OS will be thinking of you as he takes his shoes off after waiting in the security line for an hour each direction. And attempting to explain this mess to his business associates from overseas. Thanks for nothing, you utter inexcusable idiot.

If ya'll are reading from overseas, and OldSouth hopes you do, please forward this screed to your friends in places like Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi, the Emirates, and the Moslem neighborhoods of the UK and Europe.

This nutter does not, repeat does not, speak for 99.99 percent of the citizens of the US. He is at the least mentally ill, probably sane and evil. He is no Christian, and burning a Koran for the cameras is one of the most un-Christian acts of the year.

This is not Christianity.

This is not America.