Jack & Jill Politics

This am, President Obama made it clear on Good Morning America that “Pastor” Terry Jones should not burn a Quran. It’s also spelled Koran. I’ll try to interchange for variety. Here’s what he said on the matter this morning (GMA clip above):

“If he’s listening, I hope he understands that what he’s proposing to do is completely contrary to our values as Americans, that this country has been built on the notion of religious freedom and religious tolerance.”

“And as a very practical matter, as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, I just want him to understand that this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endanger our young men and women in uniform who are in Iraq, who are in Afghanistan. We’re already seeing protests against Americans just by the mere threat that he’s making.”

“Look, this is a recruitment bonanza for Al Qaeda. You could have serious violence in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan. This could increase the recruitment of individuals who’d be willing to blow themselves up in American cities or European cities. And so, I just hope…he says he’s someone who’s motivated by his faith and I hope he listens to those better angels…”

Barack Obama is a practical man. But we at JJP also know him to be a man of great faith himself for whom this single potential act by a man with 30 followers at his church must be troubling indeed. In using the term “better angels”, Obama invoked the close of President Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address in 1861 prior to the Civil War in which he pleads for peace & understanding among people. It gives me a sense of how deeply our own President today feels. Here’s the passage:

We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.

Lincoln, like Barack Obama, was a real leader who appealed effectively to the best within the American spirit. I think it’s also appropriate for President Obama to counsel on the threat to the military & Americans abroad. This is a great example of how Democrats can wave the flag and truly support the military in a more authentic & powerful way than the GOP’s tendency to accuse the left of insufficient patriotism while voting to cut veteran benefits and other services for those who have served our country (*cough* John Boehner).

Personally, I’m disgusted and frightened at the notion of the burning of the Quran on 9/11. It’s the opposite message to send and is in fact un-American. As a bonus, it puts the lives of our troops and all Americans living overseas in Muslim countries at risk or retaliatory acts of violence. But WWJD? Pastor Jones claims to be a fan of Jesus Christ and a Christian. What Would Jesus Do?

I think there’s no question that this provocative & aggressive message of hate that Jesus — the Prince of Peace — would reject categorically. Don’t believe me? Here’s some radical thinking Jesus actually laid down while he was alive:

Matthew 5:42-45: You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Luke 6:26-28: But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.

Luke 6:35: But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.

I’m not sure why no one else is quoting these actual scriptures, but these are Jesus’ words. He would just go around saying cool, kinda out of the box thinking type stuff like this which is apparently why some key people felt the need to take him out. Cuz…if we actually loved our enemies, we might stop launching wars, and really…where’s the $$$ profit in that kind of thinking?

“Pastor” Terry Jones in Gainesville — if folks like General Petraeus, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and um….Jesus all think burning other people’s holy books is a bad idea for a number of reasons — maybe that’s the message from God you’ve been praying to receive. Not all of those people agree all of the time, but they’ve made a special exception for you. I mean, when the President of the United States goes on national TV to implore you NOT to do something that is counter-productive to world peace, might that not count as some kinda sign all by itself? If you do this, the blood, lost lives, maimed bodies, pain and suffering that results will be on your hands and those of your flock. Can you live with that?

What do you think? Is burning a Koran in fact a heresy that the Bible does not support and a threat to our nation’s Armed Forces to boot? Or are you planning to light a match on 9/11?