...and the symbolic actions we take.
It has been a hell of a week.
We have a "Christian" minister in Florida who has scheduled a Qur'an burning for September 11.
We have Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, who has compared to the Nazis the supporters of an Islamic Center near Ground Zero.
We have a University of Louisville student who in making a public presentation on his recent visit to the Palestinian territories has reportedly used the word Nazi and the term "Ethnic Cleansing" in referring to Israeli leaders.
I'd like to take a moment to try to douse the interfaith conflagration that is sparking right now in the world of inter-religious interaction.
First, the Qur'an burning.
As a lover of books (and an author) I find the idea of book burning unacceptable. I regard the burning of the sacred text of any religion as particularly repugnant. By my understanding, Muslims view the Qur'an as the Incarnate Word of God in a way that is similar to that in which Christians see Jesus Christ. Thus, burning a Qur'an may be viewed by Muslims with the same horror that Christians would see the burning of Jesus Christ himself.
Next, the use of the word Nazi and the term "Ethnic Cleansing".
Before any of us uses that word or that term loosely, let's keep in mind the reality of ALL that the Nazis represented and all that they did to poison and destroy our world. And let's consider what the term ethnic cleansing means in reality.
While I am not a survivor of the Holocaust myself, I know men and women who are. I won't presume to speak for them, but I imagine that they would find the use of "Nazi" and "Ethnic Cleansing" in this context extremely distasteful and very disturbing.
Engaging in thoughtless name-calling only incites our opponents and adds no useful information to any debate.
Let's agree to disagree. Let's engage in deep and sometimes painful discussions. But let's stop the name-calling. And the book burning.
As my friend Joe Phelps says, what we need is more light and less heat.
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