TIME's Bobby Ghosh

Burning the Muslim holy book, the Koran is much worse than burning the Bible, according to Time magazine editor Bobby Ghosh.

He explained the difference on MSNBC Friday, telling host Chuck Togg that the Koran should not be burned because it is directly from God, while the Bible was written by humans. Yes, that’s what he said. Here is a transcript.

GHOSH: The thing to keep in mind that`s very important here is that the Koran to Muslims, it is not — it is not the same as the Bible to Christians. The Bible is a book written by men. It is acknowledged by Christians that it is written by men. It`s the story of Jesus.

TODD: Yes.

GHOSH: But the Koran, if you are a believer, if you’re a Muslim, the Koran is directly the word of God, not written by man. It is transcribed, is directly the word of God. That makes it sacred in a way that it’s hard to understand if you’re not Muslim. So the act of burning a Koran is much more — potentially much, much more inflammatory than —

TODD: Directly attacking — directly attacking God.

GHOSH: — than if you were to burn a — burn a Bible.

TODD: Directly attacking God.

Muslims taking Koran-burning very seriously

Todd did not dispute Ghosh’s assertion that the Bible was written by men.

So, since when did Christians not believe the Bible was authored by the Almighty?

America’s largest protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention states on its website that the Holy Bible “It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.”

The Episcopal Church’s Westminster Confession of Faith states: “The authority of the holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man or Church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself), the Author thereof; and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God.”

The First Vatican Council proclaimed the books of the Bible sacred “because, having been written by inspiration of the Holy Ghost, that have God for their author, and as such have been handed down to the Church”

What does the Bible say about itself?

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 New King James Version)

So, did Ghosh really say that burning the Koran is different than burning the Bible?

Judge for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KOnsHYwkqw
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