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Worse than a book buring

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by forget me knots, Oct 24, 2014.

  1. forget me knots

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    So I live with my aunt and uncle. My aunt is crazy religious. (not that there's anythign wrong with being religious)

    the only problem is I had this awesome series of books. I think it was something like "his dark materials" or something. the first book was the golden comapss. the second was the spyglass or something... ANYWAY...

    my aunt bought me the series for christmas one year. I was so excited! I had read the series from the library and i had asked for the books for a gift that year and i was super suprised to actually get it.

    one month later she comes home from bible study and tells me we need to have a talk. She sits me down to tell me that the girls at bible study said the books were evil and she told me she was going to take them away and bury them under a church.


    I feel like destroying books is horrible! especially ones that are written so well! I feel like it's disrespectful to the author who took all that time to write it and it's disrespectful to all the people who can't afford books. I just wish i knew what was going on inside my aunt's head sometimes...
     
  2. MintberryCrunch

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    "His Dark Materials" by Philip Pullman, a known atheist--the books are known for being the "anti-Narnia".

    Sounds like your aunt has been seized by religious fervor and is probably a bit on the suggestible side. No, she shouldn't be burying or burning books. But people like that think it's their duty to do so to eradicate any influence the books might have--the best thing for someone like that to do is ACTUALLY READ THE BOOKS. But you can't expect that, now can you?
     
  3. Snever2late

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    Ugh censorship. Makes me sick. Sorry you had that experience :frowning2:
     
  4. BiShoegazer

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    So "His Dark Materials" is considered an evil book yet a book that justifies, to name just a few, murder, slavery, domestic violence and sheer ignorance is deemed perfectly acceptable?!

    The irrationality hurts.
     
  5. timo

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    :icon_eek:
    I had no idea such people even existed.
     
  6. sldanlm

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    If an inanimate object like a book can be truly evil by itself, why would you want to bury them under a church, where it's evil would reside there?

    I think the first bolded answers the second bolded part. It is not a criticism of religion to say that extremism is a mental illness.
     
  7. confuzzled82

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    I think your aunt seriously needs to read Farenheit 451
     
  8. antibinary

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    The first book is called the Northern Lights. Hide them.
     
  9. Ceasg

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    I agree. They're your books, right? She's not allowed to take your property and do with them as she sees fit (especially burning them, burying them, etc.) Try talking to her again.. gently. Or say that you are going to get rid of them (then just hide them-somewhere where she can't find them or at a friend's house or something). I understand to some extent what religious fanaticism can do to a person. My mother made me and my sister rip up our pokemon cards as children because they were "evil". Harry Potter was "evil". Goosebumps was "evil". And yes, the series you are talking about was "evil" and wasn't allowed to be read at home.
     
  10. happydavid

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    That's a bit too extreame
     
  11. Pie

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    Destroying a book that goes against her beliefs is called censorship. She has no right to do that. You should have a talk with her and try to convince her that destroying a book is not the right thing to do. If she won't listen, don't let her take the books from you.
     
  12. Basic

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    I'd let her take the books. You can't reason with people like that. I'm sure she's a lovely person. God seems to bring the crazy out in some people.
     
  13. NingyoBroken

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    ^Someone so ignorant and naive isn't "a lovely person"

    Hide the books, if she didn't get to them already.
     
  14. clockworkfox

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    That's what I would do. I feel like destroying books is the real sin here.

    And anyway she may have bought them, but they are your books. They're not hers to touch, no matter how scared she is of demons or whatever.
     
  15. Basic

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    An ignorant statement in itself. How quick we are to judge; but I digress.
     
  16. Mickz

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    I've come across this before with a lot of my interests where my mom wanted to get rid of the stuff :frowning2: and then I just give it to my dad to keep safe at his house or something... It's horrible to destroy a book.
     
  17. twosoups

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    Freaking religion.. When I was a kid I really wanted to be a Christian, I really did. Got tired of everything being evil, and being told how anyone who didn't do this or did that was going to hell. I realized God himself was not a good person, and then I realized it wasn't that he wasn't good. Just that he wasn't real.
     
  18. One Man Army

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    OP, you could ask your aunt if she's willing to read the books first before she pronounces hellfire and damnation on them? She will probably say no but it's worth a try.
     
  19. Spartan 117

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    Funnily enough, I remember my religious mother saying that those books were about or inspired by demons or something. I sort of just shrugged because I was young and I had no real interest in reading anything at the time.

    Even she, though, wouldn't go and bury them under a church. That's... well, that's a new one on me.
     
  20. Kaiser

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    I used to always bring up, the amounts of oppression and various -isms, that were in the Bible. In fact, back when I was being a little hellion, the Bible was a fantastic crutch. I'd just point out a verse or two, that proved whatever point I was making. For example, when I'd act up in Sunday School, I'd tell my female teachers they had no right, to speak to me, and that I did not have to listen:

    1 Timothy 2:12, is a 'fun' verse.

    The female church staff, were usually left speechless, and I'd go about being a fucking ruffian.


    Now, you're probably wondering, Kaiser, what does this have to do, with my predicament?

    Well, I'm glad you asked!

    Do a little Bible research, and find some verses, that can be directed at your aunt. If she makes up excuses, you've won. You can just bring up, if exceptions can be made with that, then exceptions can be made with these books. If she cannot think of anything, and is left speechless, you can then explain, that perhaps every part of the Bible, if explored and not nitpicked, might be the more "harmful" of the two pieces of literature, here.


    That said...

    I second what others are saying, that if you really enjoy the books, then to do something. Hide them, or lend them to somebody, to hold onto you for a while. In fact, I'd suggest lending them to somebody, and letting your aunt check your room. Once she makes a sweep, she'll have no reason to believe the books are there. You can smuggle them back in, and hide them somewhere.

    If I may make a few suggestions, for hiding places. Air vents make fantastic places, but you are semi-limited due to size. But you can put them there, and hardly anybody, thinks to look there. This is where I used to hide some of my valuables. Another fine place, is beneath the carpet, preferably, underneath something, like a set of drawers, so nobody will notice the 'lump'. And if they are going to vacuum under there, they won't see anything but the carpet, unless they're going to move the whole damn set of drawers.

    Another accept hiding place is, behind a picture frame. You may have to remove some tidbits, but you can tape/strap/tie something, behind a picture, hang it on the wall, and nobody will think twice about it. You could also find an old jacket, that you won't be wearing, and wrap the books up in this, then place it at the back end, of a closet, underneath and behind things. Just have it away from near the front, where somebody could casually stumble upon it. No one really thinks to pick up, crumbled clothes, in the back corner of a closet.

    I could go on and on about hiding places. But, I don't want to waste more of your time, and I don't want to give away all of my hiding spots, LOL!