Burn a Qur'an, Don't Burn a Qur'an...

So everyone's got their panties in a wad in one way or another over a Florida pastor's plans to hold a Qur'an burning. General Petraeus worries that it will endanger our troops overseas in Muslim countries. The Obama administration has chimed in, denouncing the idea. Clearly, a lot of people are taking this very seriously.

Which is precisely the problem.

The rational reaction to this is to have no reaction whatsoever. What's being destroyed here but paper? Are the ideas contained in the Qur'an in danger of being wiped from all memory if these few copies are burned? Is the guy breaking the law? Is he harming anyone? Does he have any power to do anything more than make his idiotic little religio-political statement? No? Then move on, nothing to see here.

This pastor is an idiot and a bigot, and so are his little band of followers. But this whole crisis results from our fear of how a second group of idiots and bigots will react to the actions of the first group of idiots and bigots. Rational people are caught in the crossfire in a war between two groups of religious fanatics. The only power these people have is the power to spread their hate through the media. Let's ignore them and remove that power.

James Madison on the Clergy

"What influence in fact have Christian ecclesiastical establishments had on civil society? In many instances they have been upholding the thrones of political tyranny. In no instance have they been seen as the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wished to subvert the public liberty have found in the clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate liberty, does not need the clergy."

Wait a minute, I thought the Founders were devout Christians who intended to create a Christian nation! Just wait until Glenn Beck debunks this bit of revisionist history!