Book
Burning
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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) -- A church's plan for an old-fashioned book-burning has been thwarted by city and county fire codes. Preachers and congregations throughout American history have built bonfires and tossed in books and other materials they believed offended God. The Rev. Scott Breedlove, pastor of The Jesus Church, wanted to rekindle that tradition in a July 28 ceremony where books, CDs, videos and clothing would have been thrown into the flames. Not so fast, city officials said. "We don't want a situation where people are burning rubbish as a recreational fire," said Brad Brenneman, the fire department's district chief. Linn County won't go for a fire outside city limits, either. Officials said the county's air quality division prohibits the transporting of materials from the city to the county for burning. Breedlove said a city fire inspector suggested shredding the offending material, but Breedlove said that wouldn't seem biblical. "I joked with the guy that St. Paul never had to worry about fire codes," Breedlove said. The new plan calls for members of the church to throw materials into garbage cans and then light candles to symbolically "burn" the material. "Where they have burned books, Harry Potter went up in flames in Alamogordo, N.M., one winter evening a few year ago and that act just fascinated me. Harry Potter?! Several hundred members of Christ Community Church sang "Amazing Grace" at a public book burning that targeted J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" books, "Star Wars" products and popular music. Amazing Grace?!? A song of love and forgiveness was the anthem for a gathering of hate? Man, you just have to LOVE the thought process of the Christian right. The book burning was organized by Jack Brock, the church pastor, who contends that the books chronicling the adventures of a young wizard promote witchcraft and "the powers of darkness." "Harry Potter is a masterpiece of satanic deception," according to Brock. The church's book burning drew plenty of attention and plenty of condemnation. Community members, newspaper editorial writers and columnists screamed about the incineration of books and music. No surprise there. While few would be unsettled by church members organizing a boycott or letter-writing campaign, the destruction of literature has a long and chilling history: There are documented cases of book burning as early as 213 B.C. when Confucian books were ignited in an act of government persecution. The first recorded book burning in the United States came in 1650. William Pynchon's A Meritorious Price of Our Redemption was ordered destroyed by a court because the religious publication contained "errors and heresies." The book was burned by the public executioner. About 20,000 books were burned on May 10, 1933, during a student rally as the Nazis rose to power in Germany. The largest book burning in history reportedly occurred in 1992 when Serb forces attacked Sarajevo's National Library. The three-day assault destroyed more than 1 million books and 100,000 manuscripts and records. In fairness, it's important to remember that the same First Amendment that protects books and music also gives Harry Potter critics the right to destroy books in a public demonstration. I was struck by the comment of Brock's wife, Sharon, who described the book burning this way: "It's really symbolic," she told the Associated Press. "Like you're putting it in a fire to get rid of it from your life." Symbolic? Stupid people… I believe in the first amendment with all of my heart and soul, I really do. You might think, however, that those who want to burn something as precious as a book might themselves look deeper into the process. Would any of them stand for someone standing up at a public outdoor church service, quietly holding a sign saying “there is no God but Allah?” I don’t think so. Would any of them stand by as someone burned a flag at the grave of the Unknown Soldier (as a side note – you burn a flag in front of me and I’m going to exercise my right, no my NEED to beat your ass -- every action has a consequence), no I don’t think so. Book burning to some (like me) is akin to those social transgressions. "Where they have burned books, The following list of books banned in the United States is by no means comprehensive. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
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