Tongues & eyes (Proverbs 15:1-4)

There's an interesting, albeit implicit, contrast between organs, and what they do, in Proverbs 15:1-4. This section focuses primarily on mouths and what they do; that is, how people affect and attempt to control others by the use of their tongues. In 15:3, though, the eyes of the Lord watch both the evil and the good. While the tongue is active and the eye passive, the Lord's eyes ultimately accomplish far more than do men's mouths, for his observations form the basis of his judgments.

I thought I was hard on hereditary monarchies

From the BBC's website:

One of the Pope's senior advisers has pulled out of the papal visit to Britain, after reportedly saying the UK is a "Third World country" marked by "a new and aggressive atheism".

Apparently, I have not yet begun to snark.

The knucklehead vs. the extremists

It's fairly obvious to most adults in this country that the Florida pastor planning a Koran bonfire this Saturday is something of a knucklehead. Of course, a pastor has the duty to inform his congregation that Islam is a false religion. This, however, is mere provocation. I hope I'm not the only person to note the irony of a congregation with "outreach" in its name making its biggest splash with an event which does nothing to articulate the nature of the true Gospel, the grace of which Islam's system is strictly against.

At the same time, these little episodes underline the astonishing difference between Islam and Christianity. Someone threatens to burn a Koran or draws an irreverent doodle of Mohammed, and thousands of Muslims riot, burn down embassies, and threaten and/or kill Europeans and/or Americans. An irreverent depiction of Jesus is shown on South Park, and thousands of Christians shrug and take a moment to pray for souls of the blasphemers.

So which really is the religion of peace, and which is nothing of the sort?