Burn Baby, Burn!

Burning bras. Burning classic rock albums. Burning effigies of American Presidents. Burning your ex-boyfriend's cards and letters. Burning the Quran. Aren't they all really the same? None of these burnings get me in an outrage, not even if someone burns a Bible, a book I happen to hold in very high esteem. Sure, I cringed in the 80's when a local preacher encouraged all the kids to throw their Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and Pink Floyd albums into a giant bonfire. Sure, I glance at the news story photos to see if the scarecrow mock up of Bush or Obama is a good artist's rendering or not and then roll my eyes. And yes, I might even be guilty of burning a really awesome sweatshirt that belonged to the boy who had eyes for someone other than me back in 1992. That said, when we burn something in a symbolic way, it's really just caveman thinking. "Argh", said Bunga as he threw the evil dinosaur's bones into the fire. For he knew that burning the bones would symbolize victory over the beast that plagued him.

The Florida preacher who threatened for months to burn the Quran finally did it. He must really fear this book and the powers of Allah to have gone to the trouble of obtaining a copy of it and making a fire for its destruction. Surely he must feel that burning it somehow sets him free from it, diminishes its power, allows him to claim victory over it (much like me with the awesome sweatshirt belonging to a boy who shall remain nameless).

Florida preacher man is no different than the angry, hate-filled mobs shooting guns into the sky and burning effigies in far away lands. Their actions really are for naught. Their actions only display their hate, fear, and a way of thinking that is counter to that of civilized man. Because I'm secure in my faith, I don't need to burn anything to claim victory over it or to prove I'm right. For those who follow Jesus, you know he said a lot of things about love, drawing attention to yourself (humility), and loving those who persecute you. I've come a long way since the sweatshirt burning incident. Let's hope the Florida preacher can too.