Job Discussion Forums

[cmp45]

Reference to the American pastor threatening to burn the Quran to protest of Muslims building a mosque at ground zero....cause for concern for expats abroad?
It appears that the mere threat of such a despicable act has already created mayhem ...I can only imagine what will happen, if this lunatic fringe religous leader decides to go through with it. Although it is equally insensitive to even consider the building of a mosque so close to ground zero, I doubt such a protest will help the cause. It will certainly create more hatred between the various religions. This type of protest is pushing the USA first amendment to the extreme.

[cassava]

As long as people continue to see the proposed burning of the Quran and the violent upheavals that would follow as simply a conflict between groups of fanatical Christians and equally fanatical Muslims, the bigger picture will always be missed.

The problem lies in the nature of religion itself. Religions, in general, spring from ancient misinterpretations of natural phenomena coupled with a failure to understand the scientific basis of life itself. Instead of rational thinking, most religions substitute ideology, hate, hypocrisy and violence.

Study the history of various religions and you will find more irrational actions and bloodshed than what you will see in many social movements. Religions have been the scourge of societies, past and present. The current conflict is merely indicative of this trend.

[Kornan DeKobb]

Note the number of posts by the OP: 666.

Coincidence? I think not! Downright Satanic!

[cmp45]

[007]

Well, it seems the pastor, who is uneducated and ignorant person, woke up one morning and said that his church will "not today, not ever" burn a Quran, even if a mosque is built near ground zero.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/quran_burning

Did not this pastor said that God told him to burn the quaran? Is he now defying the order of God? Or may be it was the great Satan who ordered him to burn the Quran?

But, the point is how come this is happening in a country, the country of Uncle Sam, where some people think that what the pastor did is a �freedom/free speech�!!

At the end, the pastor was looking for attention, propagonda, and media coverage, but it seems that he is the biggest loser in front of God, the American people, and humanity.

God bless the Americans who fear God and do not harm themselves!

Amen.

[cassava]

Yes, Mr. Chief Inquisitor, I have read the Bible and the Quran. However, I hope that you are not going to ask me next how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. I don't know the answer to that profound question.

Please, "God", protect me from your followers.

[007]

[Mr. Kalgukshi]

Feel free to discuss the topic as a political event but if the thread begins to turn into a discussion of religion, it will be locked or deleted:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=82215

Also, if the comments directed at the messenger rather than the message continue, the thread will cease to be available.

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=82213

[Qaaolchoura]

Let's see if I can keep on topic then. Addressing what I think are the most relevant points:

1. The pastor's plan was pretty obvious from the start: he wanted his 15 minutes of fame. Hell, President Obama paid attention to him. Unfortunately, Obama has been paying far too much to attention to crackpots.

2. Freedom of speech means that you cannot ban speech you dislike, no matter how much it offends you. Period. Any restrictions on freedom of speech have to be content neutral, and they have to intend to prevent harm. Comedy Central's decision to censor certain South Park episodes was giving into a heckler's veto, however that's their right as a private corporation. The government, fortunately, has no such right. The American convert who made a thinly veiled threat against Comedy Central was skirting the line against legality. If he had said specifically "Any good Muslim has an obligation to kill Matt and Trey" rather than "They'll get a lot of Muslims mad and violence might befall them," he'd likely be sitting in jail right now on charges of criminal intimidation.

3. Who cares if the Cordoba House is built in Lower Manhattan? It's appalling that some Muslims think that they have a right to impose their beliefs on on the rest of the world, but freedom of expression and religion are pretty near absolute, and that cuts both ways. Even if Feisal Rauf had an identical worldview to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which he certainly doesn't, he would have the right to build it.

And seriously? It's not at Ground Zero, it's not even visible from Ground Zero.

~Q

[bulgogiboy]