Politician calls Islam 'cult:' Church to burn Quran

[sabra]

Source: wtsp

Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, lagging in polls in the Republican gubernatorial primary race, according to Talking Points Memo, says he's not sure if Constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion apply to Islam, since, he says, Islam may be a cult, not actually a religion:

"Now, you could even argue whether being a Muslim is actually a religion, or is it a nationality, way of life, cult whatever you want to call it."

Ramsey did not dispute the video of his remarks posted at TPM and answered its request for comment with an email:

"My concern is that far too much of Islam has come to resemble a violent political philosophy more than peace-loving religion. It's time for American Muslims who love this country to publicly renounce violent jihadism and to drum those who seek to do America harm out of their faith community."

...

That's the Florida church, which calls itself "a New Testament, Charismatic, Non-Denominational Church that believes in the whole Bible," which posted a roadside sign this month, "Islam is of the Devil" and has now stepped up its campaign against Islam.

According to Religion News Service, the church is planning "International Burn A Quran Day," on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks this year -- smack during Eid al-Fitr, the Islamic feast days at the conclusion of the Ramadan fast.

Read more: http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=138413&catid=250

[nebenaube]

1. more projection from the religously insane... n/t

[burnsei sensei]

2. This is just plain belligerence

from a church that believes in the "whole Bible".
These people are no different from Westboro Baptist Church.
Above all, they are not mainline Christians-- they are not part of any formal hierarchy.

[atreides1]

9. Excuse me

But what exactly is a "mainline Christian" and what's the difference between them and these Westboro wannabees???

[burnsei sensei]

19. Congregations like this one

and Westboro are set up by the pastors themselves.
If you want the final authority in Phelps's church, then you go to Phelps.
He is not subject to any authority other than his own.
Consequently, he can play the tyrant in his congregation.
These people are no different.
There is no institutional resemblance between these two churches and the Catholic, Episcopal or Presbyterian churches.
The latter three have hierarchy, and in the case of Catholics, parishes are not built by one pastor from the ground up.
They are brought into existence and managed from the top down.
In the case of many American protestant "non-denominational" churches, it's "have mission, will travel"-- they can be founded by people who really are insane.
People who have not had the burden of working their way up through hierarchies that don't reward unorthodox thinking.

[livetohike]

3. The ignorance is appalling.

It's frightening to see the number of ignorant people who are running for office this year.

[peacetalksforall]

4. Any leaders who create stupidity and deny history are the ones creating a cult.

[Ghost Dog]

5. Oh, the irony...

I could say more, but, n/t.

[ixion]

26. That is the exact phrase that came to my mind as well.

Indeed.

[Jackpine Radical]

6. These people are not Neandertals.

Neandertals were probably nice folks.

[Hosnon]

7. Well that's convenient.

Is there a religion you want to oppress? Simple solution: it's not really a religion! Ta-da...that pesky First Amendment issue is moot.

[Golden Raisin]

13. First religions, then groups in general.

Don't like (translates as: fears/hates) Moslems, Gays, Blacks, Jews, Mexicans, Fill-In-The Blank, etc.? These right-wingers are working their way towards concentration camps or worse.

[Igel]

24. The claims are there.

Students tried to organize a "Christian Student's Organization" as a sponsored student group where I was a student (it meant it could apply for and receive money, free meeting space, etc.) It was turned down because religious groups but they pointed to the Muslim Students' Association and the Jewish Students' Association. The rebuttal was these were cultural organizations while the Xian group be religions.

The MSA organized prayers, was affiliated with a mosque, had iftar dinners and other purely religious stuff, but also had "cultural nights" that were specific to Muslim-majority countries. The JSA was the same, except that instead of "Muslim-majority countries" it had an Israeli appreciation night and Jewish-American "stuff."

The Xian group appealed and lost.

The following year the MSA filed the same kind of charges alleging that the JSA was really a religious organization. A lot of people rallied around the MSA. The JSA filed counter-charges and a lot of people were up in arms because being Muslim had a specific culture that spanned all Muslim countries whereas Judaism was purely a religion.

The administration managed to squelch them both. Mostly by finding new funding sources, but also mostly by curtailing and making the JSA less offensive.

Many of the MSA officers were openly cynical. They knew their organization was primarily religious. But they wanted a special status, and wanted to punish the Jews that they reviled in private. If gaming the system got what they wanted, that was fine. It was a win-win for them.

[DCBob]

8. These lunatics are trying to create an incident that will make the President look bad..

I think they want an attack so they can say Obama is not doing enough to protect the US from terrorists. Why didnt they do this during the Bush era on the 4th or 5th or 6th anniversary of 9/11? These people make me sick.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

10. The Charismatics- confusing religion with politics since the year One.

:cry:

[superconnected]

11. Are they going to declare Christianity a cult too and burn the Bible? That would be fair.

I can think of a whole lot of books they could throw in that heap, the book of Mormon, Catholic and Jehovah Witness books, etc. I'll be sad to see the ones by the Dali Lama go, but it's all fair if we're going to call religions cults and burn their books.

What would be unfair is only picking one religion and attacking it.

[apnu]

12. "... Church that believes in the whole Bible" = Old Testament freakazoids

Whenever I see the phrase "believes in the whole Bible" that has always led me to people who ignore and are ignorant of Jesus' teachings and they advocate all the bloodthirsty nonsense in the Old Testament. These are the same people that think stoning is cool.

[HillWilliam]

15. Stoning, snake handling, gibbering nonsense,

rolling on the floor and blaming it all on "gawd-ah". Yeah, more than a few sammidges shy of a picnic. The polite and sane majority have sat back and made excuses for them like the abused spouse of a dangerous drunk for far too long.

I've had enough of their ignorance, hatefulness, spite, nasty attitudes, and general batshittiness. It's gritsball time.

[apnu]

18. I really wish I could rec a reply.

This is one of the best I've read in a long time.

[Plucketeer]

16. Religion -

the opiate of the ignorant. :crazy:

[superconnected]

14. And btw, if they think leaks exposing our military agitate the radical Islamics and make our troops

less safe, what do they thing burning the Quran is going to do?

Remember what happened with the cartoons making fun of Mohammed? Many papers all over the world wouldn't print them because of the death threats.

[SemperEadem]

17. then his church needs to be first in line to give up their protection

if they don't believe all religions are covered.

if one wants to worship a toad, that person's religious views are protected and it doesn't matter what that counterfeit xtian/american thinks about it.

"whatsoever you do to the least of you, that you do unto me..."

I guess that part of Jesus' teachings are lost on this asshole.

[denverbill]

20. Can you imagine if he had said this about Judaism?

How fast would the ADL have crushed him?

[Dreamer Tatum]

23. Can you imagine if he had said this about Christianity?

How fast would DU have idolized him?

[slackmaster]

28. Christianity is the smartest kid on the short bus, I'm afraid

Having learned it in my youth.

[Politicalboi]

21. Hey there Ramsey

Your all CULTS!

[awoke_in_2003]

31. +1000. nt

[R. P. McMurphy]

22. I have just returned from early voting . . .

Here in Tennessee one may vote in either the Democratic or republican primary. I voted in the republican primary just to VOTE AGAINST this clown!

[daleo]

25. The diference between a cult and a church

Is how many years it's been around. If a cult lasts long enough, it starts getting called a church.

[ixion]

27. You are correct, sir.

Spot on, that.

[Thor_MN]

29. Also, the primary purpose of any organization after about 50 years becomes self preservation

Not matter how noble the initial purpose, the main effort turns inevitably to continued existence

[RainDog]

30. fascist scum

btw, a "whole bible church" means that church may have a pastor who got a diploma through the mail - these groups are religious nutcases who believe in speaking in tongues, being "slain in the spirit," which means they fall down and sometimes jerk like they're having a seizure because the "holy ghost" enters their bodies - they believe in physical devils and exorcism -

-- they are the truly idiotic who can be made to believe and do heinous things in the name of their god.

Palin attends such a church.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

32. I hope they use themselves as kindling.