Soldiers must burn their trash

[tumbleweed41]

Hitler burned books.

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]In January 2002, several hundred members of Christ Community Church in Alamogordo N.M., sang "Amazing Grace" in a public book burning that targeted J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" books, "Star Wars" products and popular music. [/FONT]

 

[Jeremy Mason]

What would you have them do with them?

I would have them hand write all the books they burned.

 

[Jeremy Mason]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]In January 2002, several hundred members of Christ Community Church in Alamogordo N.M., sang "Amazing Grace" in a public book burning that targeted J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" books, "Star Wars" products and popular music. [/FONT]

Another example of weak minds.

 

[3.14]

harry potter, star wars and good music that had to be an awesome fire,

marshmellows,
( forged from the fire's of pure awesomeness)

 

[tumbleweed41]

True story....
Back in the early 80's (High School), a friend and I volunteered to get rid of all the "evil" albums that were turned into our youth pastor during a "rally".
Rather than throw them in the dumpster, we put them in my trunk, went home, took out all the albums we liked and dumped the rest.
:band:

 

[Alceste]

I would have them hand write all the books they burned.

He meant, if they couldn't distribute the books because they were certain it would incite violence and anger, and they couldn't send them back for fear they'd be sent again (and incite violence and anger), and they had no place to store them, what should they have done with the books? Is there some other country that has need of Pashtun bibles?

They threw them out, and they incinerate their trash. It's nothing like when American Christians burn secular literature, or when Communists burn classical literature. Those groups burn books as a symbolic gesture of rejection of a particular idea. These books were just burnt because they were garbage. (Literal garbage, not symbolic garbage.) I'm sure many of the soldiers who made the decision to throw them away and act upon it were Christians themselves, and have nothing against the Bible.

It's not enough to say "burning books is wrong". What if you're locked in a library and it's 40 below, and if you don't think of a way to keep warm you'll die of hypothermia? Would it be OK to burn a small pile of Harlequin Romances so you could live through the night? Yes? Then "burning books" is not wrong. Burning books as a symbolic rejection of an idea is wrong.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

It's not enough to say "burning books is wrong". What if you're locked in a library and it's 40 below, and if you don't think of a way to keep warm you'll die of hypothermia? Would it be OK to burn a small pile of Harlequin Romances so you could live through the night? Yes? Then "burning books" is not wrong. Burning books as a symbolic rejection of an idea is wrong.

I'm pretty sure that burning any size pile of Harlequin Romance novels, whether for warmth or for symbolic rejection of an idea, is always okay.

 

[Alceste]

I'm pretty sure that burning any size pile of Harlequin Romance novels, whether for warmth or for symbolic rejection of an idea, is always okay.

No kidding!

 

[Jeremy Mason]

He meant, if they couldn't distribute the books because they were certain it would incite violence and anger, and they couldn't send them back for fear they'd be sent again (and incite violence and anger), and they had no place to store them, what should they have done with the books? Is there some other country that has need of Pashtun bibles?

I think your misunderstanding my position.

Here are the post for you to review:
http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/1597453-post13.html
http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/1597579-post14.html

My point was about book burning in America and what would I do If I could do something about it.

It's not enough to say "burning books is wrong".

That's the first time I heard someone say this...

Burning books as a symbolic rejection of an idea is wrong.

While the premise of this event might have been with good intentions, I find the lack of imagination to find a better solution to be, ehem, disturbing.

What if you're locked in a library and it's 40 below, and if you don't think of a way to keep warm you'll die of hypothermia? Would it be OK to burn a small pile of Harlequin Romances so you could live through the night? Yes? Then "burning books" is not wrong.

I still wouldn't feel good about it. Symbolically or not.

 

[Father Heathen]

My question was what would you rather the military have done with the bibles instead of burning them like they did?

 

[Jeremy Mason]

My question was what would you rather the military have done with the bibles instead of burning them like they did?

My apologies. I'm sure there are churches that could have found appropriate uses for these Bibles.

 

[Father Heathen]

My apologies. I'm sure there are churches that could have found appropriate uses for these Bibles.

Such as?

 

[Jeremy Mason]

Such as?

Giving them to Christians that live in that area.

 

[Alceste]

Giving them to Christians that live in that area.

That area being Afghanistan? So basically you're saying you disagree with the army's assessment that having the army distribute bibles in Afghanistan poses a serious threat to the lives of American soldiers?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Military burns bibles

This should probably give the lie to the notion that one of the military's priorities is spreading Christianity. Any thoughts on this?

I don't think that "the military" as one homogenous thing has a single priority when it comes to this.

I think it's definitely a priority of elements in the US military to spread Christianity. I think it's also a priority of other elements to stop activities that make the military look bad or put soldiers' lives in unnecessary danger. The existence of the one set of elements doesn't imply the non-existence of the other set.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Giving them to Christians that live in that area.

The whole point of this proselytizing exercise was to change the fact that there are virtually no Christians living in that area.

 

[Nepenthe]

It's not enough to say "burning books is wrong". What if you're locked in a library and it's 40 below, and if you don't think of a way to keep warm you'll die of hypothermia? Would it be OK to burn a small pile of Harlequin Romances so you could live through the night? Yes? Then "burning books" is not wrong. Burning books as a symbolic rejection of an idea is wrong.

Exactly. The choice to destroy the bibles by burning them was the best solution to the problem that never should've occurred in the first place.

As Alceste said, the distinction is in the intent of the book burning or destruction. I worked at bookstores through much of college and we regularly destroyed books and magazines- hundreds every day. Publishers only want the covers of the books sent back to them for refunds; the rest of the book is destroyed. We usually stripped the cover, tore the books in half, then threw them in the dumpsters where they were doused with water and bleach. There was no socio-political expression involved, simply the disposal of trash and destroying it to such a degree noone else would be able to use it (since it's illegal to sell them since the authors and publishers never received sales on them). I think the same pragmatic solution was practiced here, a solution made necessary since the backlash may have endangered people's lives and the costs involved in sending them back was not worth the cost of the paper the bibles were printed on.

 

[Jeremy Mason]

The whole point of this proselytizing exercise was to change the fact that there are virtually no Christians living in that area.

Giving Bibles to Christians is proselytizing? Virtually no Christians?

If the intent was to use these Bibles for the sole purpose of stirring-up violence, then I'm against it. Finding a legitimate method of share Christianity and utilizing these Bibles for those purposes only is what I'm talking about now.

 

[Jeremy Mason]

That area being Afghanistan? So basically you're saying you disagree with the army's assessment that having the army distribute bibles in Afghanistan poses a serious threat to the lives of American soldiers?

What would be threatening the soldiers, the Bibles or the people aiming the AK-47?

 

[blackout]

I know this is a little off topic...

but I would LOVE to hear someone... anyone's take on the bible...
who read it FRESH... with absolutley NO pre'planted/pre'concieved notions,
or prior knowledge about it.... or what it's supposed to be for.

I think if you gave away 500 or such bibles to people like that,
you would get absolutely nothing that looks anything like modern christianity
as a result. I say give those bibles away! stand back... and watch... lolol

I rather doubt if anyone would even finish it actually.
haha. or make it to the New Testament.

Maybe for the sake of completing the experement...
just cut it down to the new testament.