7.12.2004

All about books

I was reading this article today, and it made me sad. I love reading. Getting lost in a book is definitely one of my favorite pastimes. During the school year I go through withdrawl and start to feel illiterate because I'm not devouring books. One of the reasons I started this blog was to have a outlet for writing, so that I don't feel as illiterate. Over summers and Christmas breaks I generally finish a book every week or two. I'm a bit behind schedule this summer because I'm traveling to and from home and working full days, but I've only gotten through a couple so far.
Right now I'm reading a Ray Bradbury book. I love Ray Bradbury; his stories are so thought provoking and perceptive of the human condition and character. They also have keen foresight into the possibilities of technology, considering the stories were written in the 40's and '50's.
I was reminded of another Ray Bradbury book, Fahrenheit 451, which I read in junior high a long while ago, when I read this article today. In the article, the firemen say the books can't be burned, unlike in the book where firemen are the ones that burn books, because all books are illegal. I was suprised to read in this article that there are still people today that believe in book burning. What I hate even more is the fact that these people are from a church, and want to burn books in the name of Christ. From the article:

(The pastor, Scott) Breedlove said a city fire inspector suggested shredding the offending material, but Breedlove said that wouldn't seem biblical.
I can't think of where in the Bible God gives instruction of the proper destruction of offensive materials. They are making fools of themselves! They are appearing to be stereotypically narrow-minded and legalistic, and making all Christians out to be the same way. I'm all about understanding and learning about other ideas, whether I agree with them or not, and letting others learn about the ideas, too. I figure, if what I believe is Truth, I don't have to be afraid of other ideas, because they will eventually fall to Truth. Truth holds up to scrutiny and honest questions, and lies do not. Period. I figure, let people explore for themselves, because if they are honestly searching and asking questions of what they find, they will find holes in false ideas and discard them, and keep the true ones. If I believe, which I do, that the ideas I hold are not only true, but the only Truth, then I also believe that people genuinely searching will come around to it. Not that I have it all figured out. I don't. I'm still learning too.
That's my soapbox for now. Can you tell that people that give Christianity a bad name get on my nerves? Not that I'm perfect, I've probably done my share. That whole speech sounded way more post-modern than I meant it to. Except for the "there is a truth and it can be known" part. That's more modern.
Back to the books topic, I'm starting a new book today too. Josh & I are reading it together. I'm excited about it; it's a devotional book, and I love doing studies with Josh. This is the longest we've done- it's supposed to last 9 weeks, I think. Wow.
I'll recap the camping adventure later, promise.

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