AVON, Ind.  The Rev. Marc Monte defended his decision to place his Sept. 7 sermon topic, "Islam: America's Number One Enemy," on his church sign, saying he meant to provide needed information, not a message of hate.
The Indianapolis Star reported that Monte, pastor of Faith Baptist Church, said the message contained information the public does not get from the media and many religious leaders.
"I want to stir up interest, not alarm, but Islam is a false religion, dangerous and hate-promoting," said Monte.
"If I were a pastor who read KKK literature or Hitler's ‘Mein Kampf,' I would hope the members of my church would head to other churches. It is awful stuff. I repudiate it, and I put Islam in the same camp."
Not everyone shared his sentiment, however.
"To call Islam an ‘enemy' seems to be a message of hate," said Susan Jones, who works in Avon and passes the marquee twice a day. "It is just arrogant and ignorant, and I can't get past it. It is disheartening that a pastor, a pillar of the community, would be preaching this."
