Christians Try To Censor Georgia School's Reading List

[CShine]

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Some Christian parents in Georgia want a bevy of books removed from their local schools' reading list.

Three parents with the group Crusaders for Christ told members of the Bartow County Board of Education that several books are too offensive for students to be reading.

The group's leader, the Rev. Dwight Holcomb, told board members, "You're going to answer to God Almighty for your decision."

Among the books the Crusaders for Christ want banned are "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck, "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury and "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.

http://www.wsbtv.com/education/2928251/detail.html

[bluestateguy]

1. If the school board had any balls they would tell them to get a life

But they probably won't. All too often, lawsuit-phobic school administrators try to defuse any potential controversy by allowing a few vocal parents to dictate policies for everyone else.

[BiggJawn]

47. They'll reach a "compromise". "Left Behind" books on the non-fiction shelf

Instead of "Historic Fiction" or whatever they are properly catalogued as.....



We never learn, do we.

Oh, and there is a person here who thinks that they're "Joan of Arc" or something, and thinks every criticism of Religion is a personal "attack". Just want to let you know that I have you on "ignore", so save your rhetoric, unless you just wanna show-off for the benefit of the others...

[Alenne]

2. Maybe Crusaders for Christ should raise money

for a private school where they can use or ban any books they want. All the parents who don't want their children to read the offensive books can send their children to the Christian school.

[Lindsay]

7. Nah...this is an OLD right wing tactic.

I saw it at the church I used to go to. One woman started a movement to get the pastor out because he was "too liberal." After she'd succeeded, THEN she left to go to a more conservative church.

They gotta mess up everybody else's life before they straighten out their own.

[zonmoy]

21. But they want

to coerce their beliefs on everybody in the school district Groups like these arent about havin the right to not have their own children read books they dont like. it is to make other peoples children read only the books they want their own children to read.

[bluestateguy]

3. Just what we want

Schools full of Rod and Todd Flanders clones.

[Muddleoftheroad]

4. Oh come on

Both left and right try to ban books. Hell, African-Americans are some of the biggest offenders because they go after Mark Twain books that use the N word.

Those books these idiots are trying to ban are great literature. I'd love to hear what they claim is wrong with them.

[TankLV]

6. "Oh come on" - 99.99999999% of the attempts to ban books comes from right

wing wacko fundies. You named ONE instance where the African American community has objections to an objectionable term - which has has a lot more merit. I don't agree with the book banning of great literature, either. But it is hardly an equal-opportunity function of the wacko rightwing fundies versus the progressives.

Nice try. Your argument ain't gonna fly.

[JoFerret]

13. Your statistic may be close

however, there are many instances of African-American communities trying to remove Twain and Harper Lee from the curriculum. And there is some merit to the case - after all, schools make choices. Why is To Kill a Mockingbird venerated when the liberalism of Atticus Finch (whose wealth and position is founded on a racist system) remains unchallenged. The better answer is to provide children with additional reading e.g. Mildred Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry.

[Muddleoftheroad]

29. I'd love to see a cite for that fantasy

Sorry, I tend to avoid superlatives and find most things are rarely 99.99999999%.

[alittlelark]

8. Really? My college roommate Sarah (black) loved Twain.

She was getting her MS in Literature w/ an emphasis on Poetry from 1820-1870.

There could be some fringe wacko groups (as the aforementioned) that attempt to do it. But I cannot accept that it is mainstream among blacks!

Wackos are wackos regardless of color.

[Muddleoftheroad]

30. The N word has great power

And sometimes that power is too much for people to make wise choices.

"Wackos are wackos regardless of color."

Well said.

[bluestateguy]

10. Book banners

Most of it comes from the right, but I have always opposed the whiny wing of the left that tries to ban books. There is no constitutional right to not be offended.

[Alenne]

22. A few people on the left and right and a few African Americans

have tried to have books banned. The majority in all of those groups have not. Some of the biggest offenders happen to be Christian parents who don't want their children reading offensive books.

[Muddleoftheroad]

31. You tend to forget that many African-Americans are Christian

Christian opposition for certain books scores high in our community.

[Alenne]

39. Opposition is not banning

Do you have any proof that banning books scores high in our community?

[DBoon]

25. Well I'm a Librul

And people (especailly young students) should read more and not less.

I don't want to censor anything - I want to expand what kids read.

Right wing trash is OK - part of growing up is dealing with weak logic, absent evidence, and a philosophy based on greed and hatred.

The world is a very diverse place. You need to grow up knowing about all the cracks and crevices of human existence to function well.

[54anickel]

28. Good question - what is their claim against these books?

[LiberalFighter]

35. That is the question that should be posed.

What specifically are they against in the books?

[wellst0nev0ter]

37. Them Black Folks Making Trouble Again?

Please, try to stay on topic. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you are endorsing the actions of those fundies, because you know if there were instances where blacks and liberals did it, it MUST be okay.

[peterh]

38. Ya know Muddleoftheroad….

There’s a lot of stuff that you write that I admire….but when it comes to religion, you do an upsurge stage right…now myself and a host of others have valid concerns when it comes to religious fundies and where they wish to take this country….did I say “VALID CONCERNS”…..please take note….

[0007]

46. Mark Twain book is banned in the South not because of the

word "nigger" but because of the way the South and Christianity is portrayed. For example "Letters from Earth" which hasn't the "N" word is also a banned book in the South.

[RC]

5. Ignorance is Knowledge.

If these ignoramuses want their kids to be ignorant fine, but I want my kids to be educated. Those religious nuts have no business dumbing down my children's education so as to make them more susceptible to this religious nut's version of the invisible cloud being.

[murielm99]

11. There is nothing new about this.

It went on when I was in high school forty years ago. Not all school boards cave. Often, schools offer alternative reading for a family that objects.

I was a public librarian for twenty years, also. Our board handled censorship attempts quietly and efficently. You should see the list of books that have been banned over the years!

Sometimes they win. We just have to keep fighting.

[JoFerret]

9. Well...those books ARE subversive

...they require you to think. I do hope they are including the Bible too. It also requires one to think...especially all those unsavory pasages about the meek inheriting the earth and so forth. Not to mention all the violence and perverted sex of course. The Atheist Society used to put out The X-rated Bible with those pieces carefully excepted. I wonder if they still do.

[countmyvote4real]

12. The C4C should check the reading scores first.

Banning the books might be a mute point if their kids can't read/comprehend them in the first place.

[madrchsod]

14. these people

are not believers in Christ. their actions have no relation to the teachings of Christ. they are afraid of their own failure in teaching their children to resist "temptation" that they turn to the state to protect them. they have no idea what Christ meant when he said "render unto cesare what is cesare...."

[Roaming]

15. Personally, as a Chrisitian, this is absolutely ridiculous

I have read all of these books and there is nothing in them that any reasonable person could find offensive. In fact, at least two of them teach important moral values to kids.

[Liberal Veteran]

16. The Martian Chronicles? What on earth for?

I love that book and cannot think of anything that is particularly offensive to religion in it.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. And I am wondering about

To Kill a Mockingbird. What's offensive about that?

[C_eh_N_eh_D_eh]

27. It's pro-thought and anti-bigot.

Can't have that.

[RebelOne]

45. Yes, I am wondering about that too.

Ray Bradbury is my favorite sci-fi writer and The Martian Chronicles is his best novel.

[iamjoy]

17. What Do You Expect?

In Georgia didn't they start teaching creation, oh sorry, "Intelligent Design" in Science class?

and yes, Liberals do our share of censorship & call it "politically correct" language.

[LifeDuringWartime]

19. tell me bout the rabbits, george!

;)

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JoFerret]

23. Here's another banned book story: Prince meets prince

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=785&e=1&u=/ap/20040319/ap_on_re_us/gay_book_school

[yardwork]

24. The same group probably bused kids to The Passion of the Christ.

[DemBones DemBones]

41. If they did, it's irrelevant. nt

[54anickel]

26. What, no Harry Potter books listed? Heh-heh!

[Muddleoftheroad]

32. They get banned a lot

Tons of pagan imagery, magic, occult, etc.

And kids like to read them, so they must be bad. ;)

[progressivebydesign]

33. I'll say it one more time!!

If these people are so DAMNED concerned about their kid's religious education, they should fork over the money and send them to Christian school.. stop fucking terrorizing the public schools you nitwits!

[vetwife]

43. Wanna know where Ga is on the scale....50..last place

I live here and these people are backwoods hllbillies. Born here too.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic. they aalready got Huck Finn banned ! For the most part if its not taught in Sunday school..it isn't worth reading to them. I tell you though..It wasn't always like it is now. Something like the right wing has done got a hold of these people.

[neverforget]

34. Maybe schools should quit teaching kids how to read and then

the "Christian" parents will be happy. <sarcasm>

[LiberalFighter]

36. Can we find a way so that those parents can't read?

[daleo]

40. I doubt if many do read

The book banners are often quite proud of the fact that they haven't read the book in question, or many other books.

I have some very nice friends who took issue with "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson, which is about hiking the Appalachian Trail, a rather amusing book. He talks a bit about the geology of the Appalachians, though, so that made it a no-no. It seems sad to deny yourself even these harmless pleasures over irrelevant dogma. They didn't want to ban it though.

[DemBones DemBones]

42. The Board ought to call these parents in and

interrogate, er, talk with each of them inidividually. It would be interesting to see if their answers indicated that they had read the books they're complaining about.

When I was in high school, a parent called my English teacher to complain about our having to read 'Vanity Fair.' Mrs. L. questioned her and learned she'd never read 'Vanity Fair,' she'd just heard that it was 'bad' !!!

[RebelOne]

44. Cartersville is just up the road from me.

It's real redneck country.

[colonel odis]

48. i really wish the media would stop calling these types "christian." n/t