Banned Books Week

Tomorrow is the end of Banned Books week. We have a collection of banned and challenged books that you can find at archive.org. We currently have 74 that can be found on banned and challenged books lists around the internet.

OK, who would have guessed that a Junie B. Jones book would be on one of the lists.

And here are some great graphs.

My daughter loves Junie B. I’m going to start that one tonight with her.

-Jeff Kaplan

65 thoughts on “Banned Books Week

  1. Pingback: Banned Books Week « zapjens'

  2. John Black

    Sorry to get in late, got a few, appreciate so many of the unseen things you do to make OUR Internet so fluid.

    JPB

  3. Pingback: Morning Buzz — October 4, 2010 — ResearchBuzz

  4. Dilip

    Respected Sirs/Madam,
    I have been doing research on the Poetry of Pulitzer Prize Winner American poet Mark Strand who is presently teaching at the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago. Will you please send me all or any Poetry anthology written by Mark Strand. His books are published by Atheneum and Macmillan. I don’t know other names of his publishers. I haven’t got any reply from these publishers, that is why I am asking you. Please help me by sending his publications in PDF or DOC format.

    Thank you very much.

    Sincerely,
    Dr. Dilip Bhatt (Ph. D.)

    1. wth

      Almost anything that can be construed as anti semetic whether its true or not is usually banned.

    1. Connie

      Sorry, I disagree with you. Some books are not worthy of anyone reading them, much less to an uneducated mind.

      1. junius brutus

        You think some books are “not worthy of being read” but is this the same as suggesting or insisting that they be banned? Under such a rule, the Koran would be banned in 90% of the USA and most of the rest of the Christian world. The Jewish and Christian bibles could be,(but probably wouldn’t) ,be banned in Islamic or countries and in India and certainly China.
        America and Europe just fought-(70 years is yesterday to a historian)-the biggest war ever, over this and similar issues. Who the hell are you to suggest that millions of people died so the world should return to the ways of old, including book banning and burning!~?Are you living in an alternate reality? You get to say what you want only because we all do!
        I am more than appalled. I’m shocked that there lives an English speaker still not conversant with the rules of the world of Democracy-in the USA and even in Britain, Australia and a few other democratic countries in Europe.

        Be ashamed!

        1. Oldentymes

          I remember the photograph of the Nazi’s burning books in the ’30s and I believe my fellow human beings need to take a page out of George Mitchell’s “textbook” on resolving issues between disputing people. He led the parties to a calmer understanding of what they disputed by REASONING and confirming what their views were. Banning any book in the misguided belief that it is “in the common good” places one faction above another. That’s the unhappy gauntlet throw-down of ignorance promoted by bullies believing they are superior in some way.

      2. TW Burger

        True, I once read a cheap war novel that was so misogynist and racist that I threw it in the fireplace. I read it to the end thinking it was the author’s intent to use it as a plot mechanism but it was just his way of thinking. Still I would not ban his book, I would like to buy up any copies and hold a bonfire hot dog roast for the kids in the neighborhood with readings from the unabridged copy of Huckleberry Finn as entertainment.

      3. D

        And just who is supposed to make the decision as to what books are not worth reading for anyone? You? Someone else? What are your politics? What is your IQ? Who says that you, or anyone else, has the capacity, much less the objectivity, to deem what reading material would be good or bad for me to read?

  5. Daniel Veritas

    Irony: the most banned book in America is also the best selling book of all time. The Bible. Try to read that in the Public Schools, and yet out sells every book in the world. Portions of this book are actually being removed from government buildings and great expense yet more people own this book than any other. It out sells Harry Potter yet never appears on the NY Times best seller list. Just Sayin’

    1. Connie

      The Bible is also the most stolen book according to Barnes and Noble.
      Hope it does the thief some good.

    2. Cam James

      I think you are just a little mixed up. The Bible has not been banned from public schools. It appears on every school library that I have ever seen. Alongside other books held as holy religious scripture from around the World. The Bible is studied in comparative religion courses. It includes material often used in English, Ethics, Sociology, Civics and History classes. What is and should be generally banned in Public schools is the presentation of the Bible over the scripture of any other religion. Just because there may be a majority of Christians in America does not mean that the Bible should be taught and extolled in public schools. If it were simply a matter of majority, how would you feel if you were forced to move to Utah. Since the Majority of Utah residents outside of Salt Lake City itself are Mormon, would you like your son or daughter taught in public school that the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price along with the Bible and the Mormon religious viewpoint was the only one which is valid? There is little consensus among the Christian community on how to read and interpret the Bible, or even which Bible is best translated. Which Bible and whose Bible viewpoint should be the only one presented in public schools? The Pope’s, Oral Roberts, Reverend Phelps, or yours? I certainly do not want this post to come off as an attack on you or Christianity, but in a pluralistic society no singular religion or belief system should be taught above the others at the expense of the taxpayers. If Christianity and the Bible really does hold the keys for salvation, then it should it not be able to stand on its own without the Government and Public Schools having to support it?

      1. trutherator

        The Bible DOES stand on its own without the Government and Public Schools having to “support it”, but does that mean you think the Government “supports” the Communist Manifesto and Mao’s Little Red Book when they appear on state university library shelves? Telling the kids the Bible is true IS totally censored in schools.

        Russia is now unafraid to use the Bible in its classes in schools in ways now banned in the USA. Do you think that means Putin “supports” Christianity? Pwaahhhhh.

      2. trutherator

        The government should be banned from teaching anything, period! Government indoctrination centers (aka “public schools”) are institutions established to turn out cookie-cutter conformists that go along with officially established thinking. That means they got the public to accept it by allowing it to be used to teach “consensus Christian religion” with taxpayer money, and now to teach “consensus religious hostility”. Not consensus at all, though, it’s top-down mega-corporatocracy. (“Religious hostility” because religious beliefs are banned from its instruction and hostile instruction, like many of my teachers and yours had against faith.)

  6. W.J.Chaput

    We don’t cuddle up to nor do we as Americans support with public funds any religious tracts, pamphlets, bibles, qurans and torahs, home-grown screeds, religious commentary, books of mormon, bound sermons, witness testimonies, baptist hymnals, and seventh-day adventist or any other prophetic scratching.

    Just because an item sells well is the least consideration for our admiration or enthusiasm—the Ford Motor Company once sold thousands of Pintos, despite the fact that Ford well knew any Pinto car was a mobile bomb. Saying the bible sells well is akin to suggesting that Jacqueline Susann was the finest authoress to have ever lived anywhere. Pure rubbish.

    Never should we mistake popularity for value.

    1. Bret

      (Never should we mistake popularity for value.)
      Boy you said it all in one small line!
      The most valued book by a tremendous amount and yet is the most unpopular book ever translated.
      Many people, nations, and kings have tried and kill it and they despise it’s meaning and despise people who talk about and practice its treasures yet they can’t kill its value.

      1. Connie

        Bret, you are so right. People are so afraid of the Bible, that’s the only reason they ban it or distrust it.

    2. Connie

      Spoken like a true liberal. The Bible is the only book that should be read in the home with all family members around the dinner table.

  7. CURT

    exodus 21:20,21……..slavery okay. genesis 19:31,32…..incest necessary. deuteronomy 25:11,12…….mutilation lawful. numbers 31:17,18……genocide fun and practical. 2 kings 6:28,29…..cannibalism convenient. 1 timothy 2:11,12…..misogyny good. luke 19:27….vengeance christly. And so on…..why a TREMENDOUS, POPULAR, VALUED, TREASURE….obviously inspired by a superior being, would be banned…is beyond my feeble understanding.

    1. Roy

      CURT you have misquoted the scripture so much

      Exodus 21:20-21 says if a man attacks someone he should be punished if the man dies, but if the man lives he will be let go
      Genesis Incest was necessary when the only other people on the planet are your brothers and sisters (that is just stupid on your part0
      Deuteronomy 25:11 -12 If a woman had sex with a man who was coming against her husband in order to get that man to leave her husband alone whe was to lose her hand. This was God’s law for the old testement and is not practiced any more for we are not bound to the law.
      Numbers 31:17 -18 Genocide for Fun – that is your take – this was God’s commandment to the Jews when attacking a certain group of people and God had his reasons for wanting them destroyed. He is God and can destroy who he wishes without your permission.
      2 Kings 6:28-29 God was not giving them permission for cannibalism, this was how bad things got because they disobeyed God.
      1 Timothy 2:11,12 misogyny is the hatred of women and this is not what Paul was saying. Paul was saying the women should not run the church. That is all
      Luke 19:27 He is not saying vengence is good Jesus was using a parable to show what will happen to those who do not serve him. He does not seek vengence, that is why he died for us so we would not have to face vengence.
      I am not asking you to believe the bible, but don’t lie about it. What you printed was misquotations and lies. Sorry if that hurts your feelings.

      1. John L. Kingery

        “God had his reasons for wanting them destroyed. He is God and can destroy who he wishes without your permission.” Baloney

        1. Big Head

          Lol John, way to formulate an argument against the body of text Roy wrote. You pick one line that you don’t agree with out of the entire prose and call baloney. I accept you don’t agree with religions in schools, but I didn’t know you were against intelligent communication as well!

    2. Mitch

      Curt, with all due respect toward you, I cannot find a way to express the following without saying, If you have, actually, read The Bible, you have done so without understanding. There were TWO sets of Laws carried down for 1500 years by this people. The Ten Commandments, also known as the words of the Covenant, which was placed Inside the ark of the covenant. Written by the finger of God, as you might know. HOWEVER, everything in addition to that, one might note, is recognized as “Not Good”(Ezekiel 20:25 etc), and were tribal laws Entirely Done Away With… Curt, instead of citing a blind litany of what others have criticized the Bible for, fully WITHOUT regard to each case of context, HAVE YOU, PERSONALLY, ever really read it? And without a prejudiced attitude?

    3. trutherator

      The laws of Moses clearly prohibited taking a free man as slave, the KJB properly translates the word “servant” and not the very wrong word “slave”, and it properly translates “holy seed” instead of “holy race” like modern apostate versions do. The modern perversions’ mis-translators use the lexicon produced by Hitler’s “Christian spiritual adviser” Kittel.

      The laws of Moses had ZERO provision for any oppressive government. Priests served as diagnosticians then, supervising healthy food prep, and moderating when someone was accused of a material violation. It was when the people demanded a government for glory and to take care of them that things got so nasty.

  8. Mark Rinsma

    As it is, freedom of expression, we see both sides of the fence. As it seperates, the fence is what defines the sides it creates. The Bible and it’s nature is not unlike the fence. To understand it in its nature is to understand why the fence was installed in the first place.

  9. Sabrina Thornton

    If the premise is wrong, doesn’t matter if the right arguments follow.

    The Bible is a contrived, political and social engineering literature that’s been read, interpreted, and re-interpreted into many shapes and forms.

    Christianity [not to be mistaken with Judaism, which it espoused in the Old Testament] was forced upon different peoples of cultures and religions. Underline in bold – FORCED.

    It is only today, due to its lack of military arm, does it try to win converts through propaganda and mind-bending methods.

    As it stands, the book shouldn’t even be around, because it contradicts what it preaches, everything, further from the truth.

    If put to the test, the book fails miserably to deliver on its promises.

    1. Roy

      Catholicism was FORCED on people. Not true Christianity. The word itself means Christ like, you can’t force Christianity for in order to follow Christ one must come willingly.

      1. D

        There would be no widespread “Christianity” without the violent actions of the Catholics who eradicated paganism throughout Europe. Therefore, Christians can’t detach their current heritage from the Catholic root of organized Christianity and it’s past actions. Christianity, simply, would have never taken hold and there is precious little historical contradiction to refute that fact. Whether due to missionary or crusade-style efforts, the original spread of Christianity was a mostly violent-murderous crime on the whole of Europe and the Americas. The people had no choice: they had to accept Christianity or die. This is the heritage of Christianity. Never forget that it’s spread was not due to peaceful awakening and revelation, but at the point of sword, threat of the rack, and muzzle of the gun. Remember that the next time you are framing your Christian beliefs in the context their ostensibly embodying the peaceful salvation of the world.

    2. L. junius brutus

      Actually, while the Spaniards and some English and French did enforce adoption of Christianity in the Americas, the greatest recent offenders against religious freedom were,and remain, the Muslims. Muslims murdered and raped their way across North and central Africa and parts of Southern Europe and all the way to MOngolia. They gave victims a choice-convert or die. They killed innumerable people and still kill people for theperceived sins of “apostasy”.
      Also, next to the Muslims, are the Shinto Japanese, in the late 19th century, who murdered thousands of Buddhists and Christians because they believed that a normal European style state, such as Germany or France, had only one single “official” religion. The Japanese and their emperor still deny it, but it is virtually common knowledge among the Japanese themselves.
      Such persecution is by no means a wholly owned practice of the Christians and most Christians, after around 1100 CE(AD), decided that there had been enough religious war.
      However, it did go on. Nevertheless, others among other religions were far greater practitioners of religious persecution then the Catholic and Mormon church,(and Mormons aren’t strictly Christians anyway).
      Lucius

    3. tiger4j

      Sabrina, the Bible and Christianity were not invented for political purposes. They might have been espoused for political purposes, but that does not make it invented or wrong. We have manuscripts that date back to within a generation or so of the originals (visit http://www.csntm.org), and there are virtually no New Testament scholars or historians of antiquity today who say Jesus and Paul did not exist in 1st cent. Palestine. Concerning political motivation at that time – there was none. Concerning Christian force then – there was none. On the contrary, Christians were at odds with the Jewish community at that time and were vastly outnumbered and ostracised. But despite this, they continued to grow over the next century without force or violence. They would have never been acknowledged by any political group had there numbers been too small. And this without the use of force, military, or extreme organization. They just expanded rapidly. The apostles took what they believed about Jesus and the resurrection to be true despite persecution and/or death.
      Isn’t secular humanism being forced on people today? Aren’t you forcing your beliefs, will, and morality whenever you vote on anything? Are you peddling your beliefs when you say “they ought not to have done that”? Yes. But the original biblical model was for people to accept inwardly, not to have it forced upon them. It was through preaching – the free exchange of ideas and beliefs.
      Please give examples of these contradictions you speak of. And what do you mean by truth?
      Also, Please mention what failed promises you are referring to.
      Is everything you just wrote from “pop culture” propaganda? Yes, yes it is.

    4. Mitch

      Dear Sabrina, How sorry I feel for you. Who were your teachers in life, to have fed you such a hostile, negative falsehood? If there was a way to appeal to you, to remove all images of ‘religion’, ‘denominationalism’ (and even the Correct Criticisms of such!), from your mind and heart, you might have an opportunity to approach the Bible on an entirely non-religious basis. And by that I mean, (and I don’t know how staggering this might seem to you) that God Himself ‘doesn’t have a religious bone in His body’, so to speak. God could care less, and is more often than not offended by, religion which has served only to Utterly MISrepresent Him. If you can for a moment imagine what it would be like to BE the actual Creator of something – let’s say, a planet and its inhabitants – and to find that the vast majority of those inhabitants (a) had no contact with you at all, or (b) misrepresented you to others, to everyone they taught!, or (c) that the inhabitants were so greedily self-centered that they arrogantly rejected you… consider such a thing! Yes, the Bible is, absolutely, unlike any book someone would EXPECT God to write, but it has been misquoted, misunderstood, taken out of context, hated without cause, and rejected by persons as yourself…. all because you were, simply, Wrong about it. Wrong about God. Wrong about everything you don’t understand. Yes, I repeat, I feel sorry for you, as your written words reveal such a deep-seated pessimism, lack of joy and fulfillment, and expression of horrible religious ‘experiences’, whatever they may have been, that you find the need to express such vile hatred… concerning something, and Someone, who you are entirely ignorant of, and sadly separated from. So sorry for you.

      1. D

        The only problem being that your Bible was manipulated and rewritten countless times to fulfill political purposes. It’s wholly a work of man. By the way, what is your God’s name? Specifically? There are lots of “gods” within the sphere of human spiritual/religious thought. Identifying your god as ‘God’ doesn’t direct your thoughts and prayers very well, or help non-beleivers identify just who you would like them to come to.

  10. CURT

    ROY…..I NEVER QUOTED OR MISQUOTED ANYTHING. I SIMPLY INDICATED CHAPTER AND VERSE AND GAVE A SUCCINCT IMPRESSION. I BELIEVE THAT ANY THINKING PERSON WILL COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE BIBLE, LIKE ALL BOOKS, WAS WRITTEN BY PEOPLE…..AND MOST OF THEM NOT VERY WISE. I FOR ONE HOPE THE BIBLE IS NEVER BANNED. IT SHOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR ALL TO READ….MANY GOOD PEOPLE HAVE BECOME ATHEISTS THIS WAY. YOUR GOOD BOOK OUR GUIDE BOOK. PEACE.

  11. CURT

    OH….JUST ONE MORE THING ROY. AS AN ILLSTRATION OF YOUR COMPROMISED MENTAL PROCESSES…..HERE’S WHAT’S WRITTEN IN EXODUS 21:20-21: and if a man smite his slave, with a rod, and he die under his hand he shall surely be punished. 21 But if he live for a day or two, he shall not be punished, for he is his money. BUT, ON FEB 29 ACCORDING TO YOU, THIS IS WHAT THIS SAME VERSE SAYS: “if a man attacks someone he should be punished if the man dies, but if the man lives he will be let go.” WHAT I FIND MOST STRIKING IS YOUR OMISSION OF THE WORD “slave” and the insertion of the phrase “let go”. WHO’S DOING THE MISQUOTING HERE ROY? I DON’T SEE ANY REASON WHY YOUR SUPERIOR WOULD BE PLEASED.

    1. Thurber

      Are you implying that Atheism is a bad thing, and that good people that become atheists are misguided? That’s one of the more offensive things I’ve read today.

      1. tiger4j

        If atheism is wrong, then they are indeed misguided. If Christianity is wrong, then they would be misguided. Only one of them could be true, the other one would be misguided. Most atheists tend to think good people who are Christian, or any kind of theist for that matter, are misguided. But I do think that there are morally strong and pleasant atheists who have big hearts. I have known quite a few of them.

    2. tiger4j

      What seems to be misunderstood is the difference in slavery between then and now. You are reading a modern context into those passages. Not only was there life considered valuable, they were also an important part of the economy in many ancient nations. I would imagine many of them were treated better than many employees today, at least those under Jewish law. They were not just property with no rights. It was oftentimes more akin to indentured servitude.

  12. Thurman

    I have always been curious about The Revised King James Bible. The basic definition of the word revise is “to make a change”. If the bible is the inspired word of the world’s Judeo/Christian people’s God then who was King James and what or who gave him the right to change those words?

    On a bit of a silly side note I have noticed that a lot of new bible versions that are on the market today are copyrighted and can’t be reprinted without permission. How can you copyright the words of a god? Just wondering.

    1. Mitch

      Thurman, the Thomas Nelson Publishers of Nashville, owners of the copyright on the “New King James”, have been legally enabled to do so ONLY by Altering a mind-blowing 100,000 portions of text, in a somewhat subtle way. This has enabled them to cite their ‘work’ (“New” King James), legally, as an entirely different work than the REAL Bible. By obtaining copyright, it has enabled them to reap (nearly) a Half-Billion Dollars – yearly – from the sales of such. But under no circumstances is this “New” King James Bible, the actual original authentic Bible.

  13. kharding

    i have several questions:

    1. Do you believe that the Bible is God’s Holy Word? john 1.1 “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” Jesus Christ is the scriptures and is God and the Holy Spirit lives within your spirtual conscience.
    2. Do you believe in #1 above? in no, then we are off on the wrong foot already. a world view that is Christian will never be the same as a non-believer. who do you think gave you a conscience of what is right and what is wrong?
    3. what is Chistmas all about? I challenge you to listen to the Christmas carols carefully……many have the only way to heaven and the reason the Christ child came to earth. Have you ever read Luke chapter 2? He came, born of a virgin and that could only occur because of the Holy Spirit. Jo’seph was His earthly father and God was His heavenly Father….yet Jesus claimed to be God. That is because He is the great I AM.
    4. Do you celebrate Easter? Did it ever occur to anyone that the will of the Father was to send his only son into the world in earthly form yet complete deity and sin free? Only the shedding of his blood on the cruel cross could save a wretch like me. but that is Good Friday. on Easter morning, death could not keep Him there. He conquered death and I have put my faith in him to live within me and live in paradise forever.
    5. Have you ever read Genesis 1:1? “In th e beginning God….created the heavens and the earth”. Not islam, not the Pope, not buddah, not the baptists, not joseph smith, these are all good tries to get to heaven, but it isn’t going to happen.
    6. If you were to get hit by a bus tomorrow, you have had a choice on earth for two options. not acknowledging Jesus Christ as the only way to glory, or accept trust relationship With Christ.
    7. Have you ever read the last book of the Bible? Revelation? I have multiple times. some are in for a rude awakening. everyone will bow to Him and ackowledge He is Lord of Lords, king of kings. everyone.
    8. Have you ever read the book of Daniel? These prophetic writings from men that were “God breathed” as to what to write are quickly coming to pass.
    9. Are you ready if you die in your sleep? Even if you do not believe anything i am saying from the Bible, does not change what will happen. you nor any created being can understand the Creator. We are finite in mind, body, etc; God is omnicient, omnipresent, omnipotent, and sovereign.
    10. Are you atheist?? then you believe that there is no God. but that is a religion….false at that. you cannot change God nor his will. If He decides to turn your life upside down and become a believer, you cannot alter that.

    1. Thurman

      Christmas and Easter were Pagan yearly rituals co-opted by the Catholic church to bring more non-believing heathens into the Christian mind set. Christmas and Easter aren’t and never were of Christian origin.

  14. Paul MacKinnon

    Concerning literary censorship, it seems to be a truth that in the natural course of things, good books survive, and bad books are soon forgotten. Some, like Mein Kampf may still be found, but only as curiosities without influence, while others like the Koran are mere icons which continue to exist because of their status rather than their content. Even the ponderous works of Marx which once moved nations, having been demonstrated to be stupid when practiced, are something few people would trouble themselves to read. Bad books simply fade away without any help from censors (who in fact extend the life of bad books by drawing attention to them.)
    The reason the Bible continues to keep the printers busy is that it has a central message which continues to bring peace and contentment to a large number of people. It’s fundamental thesis is that man has sinned, and continues to sin against his Maker, and that God Himself has provided an all-sufficient Redeemer. In all the world of religious literature and thought, this is quite unique, and because people who are deeply convinced of their own moral guilt do not find a satisfying answer anywhere else, the Bible survives, despite all attempts to suppress it.
    For as long as there are appetites, there will be a demand for cookery books, whereas Barbara Cartland faces a predictable fate.

  15. Jennifer

    I can understand why the Junie B. book was banned. She did see her teacher in the supermarket eat a few grapes she didn’t pay for. I smell a book burnin’.

  16. Steven Bell

    The intellectual view of the Quran amongst Linguists and the reason of its popularity, is if any of you actually studied the Arabic language and grammar would find that, as a Semitic language (a language that does not change its meaning with time, a dead language, as all words are made up of its own source verb inside it), that when you change a single character or vowel direction or any particle within the book (Arabic language is only understood by its intricate formulas) , it is no longer readable (this is the very reason that such a large book can be easily memorized). This makes the Quran miraculous and a work of grammatical art, for those that study language, this is one of the reasons so many Arabs today enjoy reading the Quran. What’s quite hilarious is that a there is a particular verse in the Quran itself that challenges the reader to change a letter in the book itself and see whether you can understand. This is also the ultimate book for the study of perfect Arabic grammar inside a classroom.

  17. REVEREND HOWARD

    I wrote something wrong or evil or something?

    Gezz such hypersensitivity.

    I apologize for writing the truth.

    Oh well see some of you later in the rapture.

  18. Marilyn

    I’m wondering why Call of The Wild is on this list.

    I can’t think of any reason it should have ever been banned, and I can’t find any information about its banning.

    Can anyone help out here?
    TIA,
    ~m

  19. Crawford

    Banned Books becomes a specific argument about a specific book, portions of which have been translated over hundreds/thousands of years, and altered to suit dogmatic desires of different groups. An interesting way to divide people with a “common” collection of literature. King James was a translation of the OT & NT and More, in 1611 or so British English, so hardly a “primary source”. Do any of you understand primary secondary and tertiary sources? NT and OT history are a fascinating study, taken in context, very enlightening, but not worth all this anger and hate. Your local librarian will probably be against book banning, but may have to discard unused titles for lack of space. Why do they become unused? If you don’t like a book, don’t buy it or read it. But don’t criticise it unless you have read it. Many of the banned books were banned by specific groups of “haters” out of fear of the content of the books. Sometimes which threatened the validity of their beliefs. Call of the Wild — maybe, possibly Jack London’s positive treatment of Buck a dog, in relation to cruel treatment by humans to the dog offended those who devalue animals, like PETA, thoug you’d have to pich a hate group at the time of banning to be accurate.

  20. American

    Banned Books/Information = Hiding Truth/Secrets.

    As an American, I believe that we should be free to read what we wish without interference from those who are supposed to be protecting our rights. We should be free to read what we want and decide for ourselves what we believe instead of having others tell us what we should be reading or not be reading…regardless of whether they think it’s for our safety/security or whether we will be offended by it.

    Regarding the Bible (OT/NT), the contradictions occur over time and with translations/mistranslations. Older, more accurate versions (e.g. KJV 1611), of the Bible are not popular and have been making their way out of mainstream view/access. Using older versions of the Bible with the older versions of the concordance as reference, you may find that it does not contradict itself.

    In my opinion, information is only destroyed or made illegal if it potentially threatens those who hide it…otherwise why would they waste their time.

  21. Evalea Siverly

    I’m now sixty years of age and was taught this lesson by an elderly English teacher when I was five or six. She said, “It’s a sin to destroy any book for any reason. If it is offensive and you recognize the fact then you have learned that lesson. If it is uplifting and you recognize that then you have learned another lesson. Others may not share your views on these books but if the books were destroyed before others were able to read them no lessons would have been learned at all.” That’s all I have to say on the subject.
    Thank You

  22. CURT

    41000 Christian sects in the world. I’m going to hell because almighty god never had the ability to speak clearly. (or should I say…write clearly)

    Why should literacy have anything to do with salvation anyway? 41000 interpretations could be cleared up immediately if Jupiter would actually talk to us in a voice that was audible, not the voice in our mind, which is really just us talking to ourselves. 41000….plus all the other cults out there!

    The bible…..THE truth….unlikely. The OBVIOUS truth….impossible. A book of books written, compiled, and edited by men. Ban it? Only in church. It should be available in all other places where thinking is encouraged.

Comments are closed.