Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” is required reading in many schools. I wonder if the Rev. Terry Jones has ever understood its message. A famous refrain in the novel about a fireman who doesn’t put out fires, but starts them, is that you “don’t face a problem, you burn it.” It is the utter stupidity of this approach Bradbury tries to address in his novel.
The ultimate treasure mankind has is its books. Is it any wonder, then, that books are the fuel of choice for Guy Montag in the fires he chooses to start? It is through books that we ultimately understand each other.
Through books, we are forced to confront our greatest problems and our greatest fears. Nowhere is that need to understand each other more crucial than in reading religious scripture.
Jones may claim Islam is not a religion, and that its holy book is not from God. He alleges the Quran espouses hatred and extremism, yet confesses to never having studied it. Had he bothered to read it, he would have learned that it affirms the Bible’s teaching that if you kill one man you kill all of mankind and enjoins them to “not create disorder in the earth.” So, Terry Jones, instead of calling on moderate Muslims to build bridges of tolerance and understanding in the U.S. and, instead of working as an interfaith community to eradicate extremism of all faiths from the world, chooses to erect walls of hatred, rather than working toward love, as Jesus Christ taught. Like Guy Montag, he doesn’t face a problem, he burns it. He needs to face the fact that extremist elements can be found in all faiths, and the words of all scriptures, including the Bible, can be exploited to serve twisted political ends and means that have nothing to do with what the founder of any religion preaches.
Don’t childishly decide to run from the problem of extremism in the one senseless act of burning the holy book of Islam and become an extremist yourself. Don’t, quite literally, fight fire with fire. What good will that achieve?
The whole world knows that all this will do is antagonize Muslims, including patriotic American Muslims.
If you truly stand for peace and love for all of mankind, as Jesus Christ taught, then you, Terry Jones, will not hurt their feelings and toy with their sentiments. You will show love for your fellow Muslim neighbors and do unto them as you would have them do unto you. That is the true message of Jesus Christ.
Did you even know, Terry Jones, the Quran you are so intent on burning contains an entire chapter dedicated to the Virgin Mary and recounts the miracles of Jesus, affirming his Virgin birth? In your ignorance you have not even bothered to read it.
On Sept. 11, when you burn the Quran, please don’t tarnish your beautiful faith in this senseless act.
