Within the general period of July 10th, 2023 a Christian Iraqi located in Sweden openly, publicly burnt a Quran page by page while in front of a Mosque. The man said the burning was an expression of feelings towards Islam. The fellow applied for and received permission to do what he did.
The courts determined that refusing his permit would be an affront to his right to free speech. Since the burning, the court has announced that many more applications to ban the Quran have been made. The response of the Islamic Community can be viewed as both stereotypical and surprisingly diplomatic.
Muslims will defend their traditions and faith traditions with their blood, often spilling blood to achieve their goals (i.e Charlie Hebdo massacre), and both vail and direct threats have been made towards the fellow who burnt the Quran. Also more moderate folks have tried to understand and explain the reasons for this incident.
The Swedish Courts led by the Legislative Branch are trying to find an acceptable way to defend the right of self-expression while protecting others from perceived “hate speech”.
In the US, burning of just about anything as expressions of free speech are allowed. Most people of sound mind can accept that a consequence of allowing free speech is sometimes hearing or seeing things that are offensive. A cost to liberty.
How about this? In Michigan a racist branch of Christianity called Christian Identity believes God made white folk superior to others. Just recently, Michigan Courts have legitimised their beliefs, ruling that this “Church” can peacefully preach its faith to others.
There is concern what will happen should The Southern Poverty Law Center declare Christian Identity a hate group, or if the FBI investigates the group for hate crimes, criminality or active attacks upon non-whites. So long as the group’s message is non-violent, the courts will protect their right to religious freedom.
Religious actions strive to elicit emotional and strong reactions from both the proponents supporters and their opponents. Standing before a Roman Catholic Church and burning a cross or driving a nail through a captured cat upon the Church Door have all happened, one in the US (KKK) and also throughout Scandinavia by extremist Muslim Young men.
Active hate causes incidents to illicit persecution by the authorities (a good recruiting scheme) and spreading hateful fear among their opposing religions.
Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism and even Buddhist are all at odds with each other, vying for wealth and allusive souls. Membership and power is what counts.
The more members of a religion, the greater the wealth and influence. And so these organisations compete, most in a peaceful manner, while others have no problem using a sword to get what they want.
Look to Africa, where over 30,000+ Christians have been put to the sword by those who follow the faith of peace, Islam over the last 20 years. Burning of Churches often with the parishioners inside, massacres of those who do not believe or follow a particular religious group.
The authorities can either accept to support one group or the other, while democracies must try to be objective and support peaceful co-existence while crushing those who preach violence and hate.
Members of the Christian Identity are often separatists, wishing to create out of America regions where whites are separated from Blacks and non-whites, living in peace while trading with one another.
Other groups have no interest in cooperating with “others”, but intend upon forcing their surrender and conversion to their religion, their victorious faith before God.
Some say that the situation in Israel is no different than what The Christian Identity is hoping for, separation, segregation and regional domination racially, religiously, economically and politically.
Brings the question to mind does it not? Does religion have a place in modern society? The US is experiencing much of which was established, socially cancelled, and re-legislated to the preference of right wing religious groups.
Entire nations in Africa have forced the “different” out of their countries or imprisoned them with threats of death. Scandinavian Cities have curfews to protect their citizens from harm brought about by the tens of thousands of Middle Eastern and African migrants roaming the cities at night.
A preacher in Canada called his flock together to worship during the pandemic, contrary to governmental regulations, and he was imprisoned for @ 6 months, while habitual violent criminals are allowed to receive parole turnstile fashion.
Most governments fail to realise that religion and civil authority do not mix. One is an ideology of totalitarianism while the other speaks of individual freedom, rights and constitutions. The Church of Humanity vs Religious Monotheism and beyond.
Question: Do you have to love others to please God or one of its edicts? Or can you simply respect others as you’d wish to be respected and treated? Can you not love others for love’s sake? Yah I know what that sounds like, the second greatest law (Jesus).
It is the only thing I have lived by since leaving the seminary and Sacred Orders. Look to religion and see how murder was the answer for portraying a religious icon in cartoons.
A vicious war carried out because one faith killed and ate a cow or pig, offending others. How a nation builds a wall to keep those who rightfully belong to the region out, imposing religious, racial and political barriers to these peoples return to their rightful historic homes.
If God were a Woman, would it offend you? @ 65% of mankind would be offended. What if there is no God, but just ourselves alone on this planet? Wish I knew.
Guess I’ll stick to my central rule of life. Religion is far too complicated to be easily interpreted and lacks any form of transparency or accountability. The religious call that “Faith”. What a game they have. No matter what, the religious can claim their victory using one sentence – “It’s God’s Will” or my favourite, “it is written”.
Steven Kaszab
Bradford, Ontario