on the 4/1/2011 rioting in Afghanistan and Petreaus' comment

            I was just watching CNN cover General Petreaus’ official statement with regard to the rioting in Afghanistan yesterday over word that the leader of a church in Florida named Terry Jones, who previously threatened to burn a Quran last year, actually did so a couple of weeks ago.  As anyone who has followed this story knows, what Jones said a year ago was big news, as he announced beforehand that he would on a certain day, and a few days before, after national news publicity, mainly negative, he said that he would not on that date.  This current incident was no news here in the U.S., but was known only because Karzai mentioned it in a speech, and then word got to the Islamic leaders, and then, in turn, to the average Muslim at Friday.  To that, Petreaus read a supposedly carefully worded statement of regret. 

            What our mainstream media, more and more, seemingly do not understand, is what faith (either true or false), is.  If I, as a believer in Jesus, say I believe the Bible is God’s communication to all of man, and that Bible says in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”, then what I am saying is that every other contradictory or contrary idea is not, and it is just as much as Jones’ politically inflammatory act.

            Since I don’t live in or near his town, all I know about Jones and his church is what is posted on Wikipedia, which has been known to be incorrect. If it is correct in this instance, he is off on the disgusting fringe of society.  I cannot defend him at all, except that I support his freedom to state his opinion.  For those of us who work in corporate America, employers suppress this more than most average persons, wish to admit.

            I have a larger problem with the comments of our U. S. officials, as such statements are worded in a way that implies that there is no such thing as truth.  I do not doubt that most of our current top political leaders and military leaders feel that way, it is just that the brazen way Petreaus spoke as if anyone who believes anything does not exist, therefore implying that our citizenship is at least marginalized, is, to say the least, disappointing.  I must admit, though, after he retires, it may get him some speaking gigs at our public universities.

Note:  As I believe that I have indicated in other commentaries, I in no way consider my allegiance aligned with any current out of power political party in the U. S.  There is a wave within one that wishes to imply that the positions they hold in more congruent with faith in Jesus, but there have been enough cases over the past decade in which people within this group have shown a lack of congruency between their public positions and personal actions that I must assume that for some of these persons it is political posturing.