What does the Bible say about burning the Koran?

The anniversary of the September 11 attacks brought some anti-Muslim sentiment to the surface. This is from Reuters:

…there were at least two incidents of abuse of the Koran in Lower Manhattan. Separately, two evangelical preachers not affiliated with any mainstream church burned two copies of the Koran in Tennessee.

Florida preacher Terry Jones had outraged Muslims around the world with his plans to burn copies of the Koran on Saturday. Jones, head of a tiny and obscure church in Gainesville, canceled his plans on Thursday.
[...]
The proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero, site of the toppled World Trade Center, has sparked controversy for weeks, with promoters saying it will help bring the city’s disparate communities closer together but opponents saying it is insensitive to those who died in the September 11 attacks[1].

One man protesting against the center tore pages from the Koran, and set them alight. In another incident, a man tore pages from a copy of the Koran and made vulgar gestures with it. Onlookers were shocked at the sight.

Near Nashville, Tennessee, evangelical Pastor Bob Old and another preacher used lighter fluid and a lighter to burn at least two copies of the Koran in his yard. Old called Islam “a false religion.”

As insults go these incidents rank alongside slaughtering a pig in the Holy of Holies. Muslims regard the physical book as sacred, unlike Christians who regard the words or messages within the book as sacred. For example, most Muslims will undergo ritual washing before touching a Koran, whereas I give a Bible no special treatment beyond that which I give to any expensive book.

What does the Bible say about burning the Koran? In Romans 12:18 Paul said

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. (NASB)

I believe that this verse precludes actions which are deliberately insulting, such as the burning of a Koran[2]. Burning a Koran is basically the same as making a rude gesture with the fingers, and does not glorify God.

1 Peter 3:14-16 also has relevance here:

But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed and do not fear their intimidation, and not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. (NASB)

The pertinent principle is that we are to treat unbelievers with gentleness and reverence.

Tangentially…

Another aspect of these burnings of the Koran which bothers me is the negativity. Far too often Christians are known for what they are opposed to, rather than what they are in favour of. Much of the Christian Right is a great example of negativity: they want to use legislation to control prostitution, consumption of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, homosexual marriage and other activities that involve freely consenting adults. I see several problems with this approach:

• the Christian Right – and other Christians by extension – gain a reputation for negativity
• the Christian Right is – perhaps unwittingly – attempting to bring about a form of theocracy, and doing so without a divine mandate
• it is contrary to the example set by God, who did not put a fence around the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God gave mankind the freedom to sin, yet certain people think that they know better than God and want to put fences around that which is harmful and sinful[3]
• such prohibitionism easily leads to judgment of others, which is often a form of pride. The Bible says that Christians are not to judge those who are outside the Church. Christians who want to make what is sinful illegal are in effect judging (deciding the sinfulness or innocence of) those who are outside the Church.
• making what is sinful illegal, or putting legal fences around what is harmful, is a futile exercise. Murders do not cease when capital punishment begins, and the US Prohibition did not end alcoholism. Doing what is unbiblical and ineffective is wasting one’s life.

It is far better when we are known for positivity rather than futile negativity and book-burning. I don’t mean the delusional sort of positivity which says “the lawnmower has just cut off my foot, but if I think positively I’ll be fine”. I’m talking about the positivity which comes from delivering a message of hope, love, redemption, freedom and all the other wonderful things that God has given to us.

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[1] those Christians who oppose the Islamic centre (it’s very interesting that Muslims use this term instead of ‘mosque’ in non-Muslim countries) near Ground Zero are almost certainly exercising a double standard, i.e. they want freedom of religion and assembly for themselves, but not for followers of other religions. This is a form of prohibitionism, much like that of the Christian Right described above.
[2] this verse does not preclude self defence, nor the delivering of a message which passersby might find offensive. E.g., some people will find it offensive if I say “Jesus died and took the sins of everyone on himself”, but I would not regard my action as being contrary to Rom 12:18 unless I had intent to cause offence.
[3] parents can and should do this with their own children. There is no scriptural basis for doing the same with other adults, nor for telling other parents how to raise their children unless those other parents are in the Church and clearly acting immorally, e.g. sending their children to work as prostitutes.

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