In a Q&A with Details magazine, the openly gay ‘Lord of the Rings’ star admits to a habit of tearing out the Bible passage that condemns homosexuality — Leviticus 18:22 — every time he finds one in his hotel room. The passage: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”
“I’m not proudly defacing the book,” he asserts, “but it’s a choice between removing that page and throwing away the whole Bible.”
I frankly love this idea, except for the “not proudly defacing the book.” I say we SHOULD proudly deface the books. Take a magic marker and cross off the parts you don’t like. Tear out the pages. Jot notes in the side margins. These books are free to take and deface as you see fit — so do it!
Why stop there? Why not have full-blown, AA sponsored,
bookBible burnings in the parking lot of every AA office? Then the world could finally see the true fascist Silverman really is. What a typical liberal, man-child idea; don’t merely oppose an idea you disagree with–do everything you can to suppress and censor that idea. Yeah, that’s an American “value.”Pot – Kettle – Black
That being said, I personally do not find it necessary to either want or need to deface holy books. Not too long ago, there was much said about how wrong it was for people to deface recent atheist billboards. Why is it wrong for people to deface the ads, but recommended that atheists deface holy books? That smacks of a double standard (which is the most human standard there is).
Bibles which are provided in hotel rooms are not private property, they are an unwanted and unsolicited gift by the gideons and as such there is nothing wrong with etiher taking one with you or defacing it. The atheist billboards, however, are not a gift and defacing them is wrong.
JCC
What are you talking about? Nobody suggested burning buybulls. If you don’t want to rip the pages out of a nonsensical book that has been used through the ages to create docile loyal subjects by tyrants then don’t do it. Your choice. That’s American!
“don’t merely oppose an idea you disagree with–do everything you can to suppress and censor that idea. Yeah, that’s an American “value.”
Clearly jcc fails to see how ironic his statement is, as Christians do nothing but suppress and censor ideas they disagree with.
Yeah right, the web is full of Christian blogs that, like this one, encourage their readers to “deface” books by Dawkins, Hitchins and Harris…
…What a glittering jewel of colossal stupidity.
LEJ
The billboards are the property of the billboard company which was contracted and paid to display an advertisement. The left-behind buybulls are in no way similar to the billboards.
Actually, the bibles are the property of the hotel/motel where they are found (if only by consent). If you really feel the need to deface or destroy a bible, make sure it is your own, personal property first.
It is only the property of the hotel if the hotel says it is taking ownership of the left-behind buybulls. Again no similarity in the two cases.
No, they are NOT the property of the hotel/motel where they’re found. Bibles are placed in rooms by the Gideons (an evangelical organization named for an immoral clan who engaged in genocide and abduction. See Judges) with the consent of the hotel/motel. Taking one or defacing or destroying one does not subject you (or me) to civil or criminal charges — the Gideons simply replace it.
I do not agree with destroying books per se, but since there is absolutely no danger of this particular book disappearing from the face of the earth, and whatever one does with his own property is usually fine with me, I really have no problem with ripping out a page or seven, or starting a bonfire with one — since doing so becomes a statement of dissent, which is free speech protected by the 1st Amendment. Doing so in no way inhibits anyone else from going out and buying their own, or reading it.
If only people WOULD read that mass of pornographic nonsense, they’d stay away from it.
Aside from that, I feel much better affixing WARNING LABELS to copies of the Babble in motels where I stay. My own copies are full of notes and especially stupid stuff highlighted or underlined.
Can I still deface the toilet paper, which is the property of the hotel/motel but provided for my use?
The Gideons provide bibles because they HOPE somebody will take one home with them and make it their property. The hotels allow the free bibles because they figure their patrons might appreciate their usefulness(?) – that’s the exact same rationale with toilet paper. If my idea of useful (writing criticism in it) is different than yours (worshiping it), so what?
I personally like this idea. I know that destroying the bible is a personal thing that is left up to everyone’s own convictions. I take a particular joy in throwing out every bible I find in my hotel rooms. I travel all over the country and spend the better half of my year in hotels. I must have thrown out hundreds over the years. It my little joy…
I think we should construct a well-worded warning message which we could inscribe inside the buybull. Maybe something like: “BEWARE! The incoherent babbling to be found within this “book” has been effectively used by tyrants for over 1000 years to manipulate the behavior of their subjects. You may be susceptible to such manipulation.”
This is my favorite Babble warning label:
WARNING: This is a work of fiction. DO NOT TAKE IT LITERALLY.
CONTENT ADVISORY: Contains verses describing or advocating suicide, incest, bestiality, sadomasochism, sexual activity in a violent context, prostitution, murder, infanticide, genocide, morbid violence, use of drugs or alcohol, homosexuality, voyeurism, revenge, undermining of authority figures, lawlessness, and human rights violations and atrocities.
EXPOSURE WARNING: Exposure to contents for extended periods of time or during formative years in children may cause delusions, hallucinations, decreased cognitive and objective reasoning skills, and in extreme cases, pathological disorders, hatred, bigotry, and violence included but not limited to fanaticism, murder and genocide.
Amusing yet true. I like this.
Are you going to deface the talmud or koran.This is juvenile the hotel/motel is a private business and have a right to let a group leave religious tracts even atheist tracts for use by guests.If you let a group put magazines in your lobby for visitors would you want to see some jackass tearing out the pages he didn’t like.This is what is wrong with todays Americans it is all about them and their self individual needs and feelings.
Reason
What’s wrong with expressing one’s self in a legal manner? Freedom of speech is messy and good. Like BBQ ribs!
MMMMM . . . ribs!
There is no need to deface, simply take the bible and place it outside the room and when you leave give it a toss into the room.
It’s sad that so many trees had to be sacrificed for such a piece of rubbish as said bibble.
I feel burning books is wrong, from the hate filled diatribes of Mein Kampf to the offensive ramblings of Ann Coulter. The written word carries timeless ideals of both good and evil, it can paint a landscape of both the beautiful and the grotesque.
That being said, I feel there is nothing wrong with book reviews, so a nice label on a bible saying it was a favorite book of Jeffery Dahmer, Hitler and Ann Coulter, is quite welcome.
A warning label to parents that the contents of this book have led to mass murder and racial hatred, I feel is well advised.
Women would benefit from the knowledge that this book is a wonderland of misogyny and parental rape.
Humans have the right to read what they want, but there is no harm warning them as to the content.
your right gary….except please refrain from using silly superstitious words like good and evil….let the religiously stupid whom brought us good and evil stay afraid of their own shadows….
I see little difference between burning a book or burning the flag. The importance of the object is subjective. The flag or bible or any other object is only important if a person percieves them as being important. I see no problem with throwing a bible into a trash can fire or using it as an emergency supply of toilet paper. It is simply a book.
If someone believes that America or the American Government is not worthy of respect and wishes to burn a flag as a sign of disrespect then so be it. So long as the flag or bible is the personal property of someone who wishes to burn them then it is their right to burn them.
I think that an organized and large bible burning party would indicate to the Christian Evangelicals and Fundamentalists just how much anger their hypocracy is generating in others.
I have always been against any form of censorship. Removing and marking out parts of the bible really isn’t a good idea. While I recognize that the bible is indeed full of garbage, that garbage NEEDS to be seen. I have found through my own questioning that the majority of christians have not read the bible cover to cover while most atheists have. The reason is simple, we see the undeniable crap that the bible is filled with and we recognize the bible for the crap that it is. This is why I started up a campaign to HIGHLIGHT bibles.
If you mark out passages, tear out pages or burn books, then you show your hatred. If you highlight passages and point them out to people, you show the hatred, bigotry, sexism, obscenity and contradictory nature of their own religion. While it lacks the impact of burning the bible, it is much more effective. Since I’ve started this project, I’ve personally gotten a personal friend of mine, who happens to be HIGHLY religious, to admit that the bible was written by fallible men (although he maintains they were inspired by God… but just didn’t get the message entirely right).
Follow the link on my name for more info on this movement.
As for the legality of the bibles in hotel/motel rooms it is best to assume they are not free to take. While the bibles may have been placed there by the gideons, it is best not to assume. Simply ask a member of the staff if it is alright for you to take the bible that is in the room. If they give you permission, then it is free game. You can take it, highlight it, and put it back if you so desire.
Another thing that is fun, and quicker, is to put warning labels on the bibles or place “recommended reading” cards in them so that people will a similar idea without you having to go through and highlight a ton of passages.
In any case, I think we need to support free speech and scorn censorship in all its forms. The bible may be full of venomous garbage, but this is the same venomous garbage that the church censors because they know it will affect membership. If the truth behind their scripture is revealed, instead of being covered up, it produces a much more desirable effect, less christians and more atheists. Don’t show them our hate, show them their own.
The best thing to do with those hotel bibles is to put them out in the hall.
Let the hotel staff figure out what to do with them. This works for any religious literature which you don’t want in your room.
It’s polite, it makes a clear statment, and it gives others the same idea.
I will no longer patronize a blog that endorses such ridiculous behavior. I am a proud atheist, yes, but I draw the line at something as juvenile as this.