Community responds to book burning
August 7, 2003 at 12:30 PM ET
grae
The Leaky Cauldron (via The Detroit News)
book burning, religious nuts, religious fanatics, harry potter book burning, greenville michigan
After learning about the book burning held last weekend by the Jesus Non-denominational Church in Greenville, Michigan, community members expressed mixed emotions
about the event.
The Rev. Mark Shaw, senior pastor at Calvary Baptist, dismissed the book burning as a misguided publicity stunt.
"What kind of an image are they setting in the community?" Shaw asked.
Toni Jagger, director of the Alvah N. Belding Library in nearby Belding, said she is always disturbed by reports of book burnings.
"Burning books is such an extreme," Jagger said. "Books don't have to be read if people don't want to read them. That's one of the wonderful liberties we have in America."
As long as the book burning does not prevent readers from accessing those titles or other literature, the congregation can do as it pleases, said Tara Conaway, director of the Flat River Community Library.
It also turns out that Harry Potter books weren't the only objects being burned - included in the list of what the church considered evil were the Book of Mormon and non-King James Version Bibles.
Other books, magazines, posters, compact discs and movies that members believe do not promote God also went up in smoke Sunday, as more than 50 people gathered outside the church for the fiery display. Among the incinerated items were Shania Twain's album "The Woman in Me" and the Dan Akroyd movie "Coneheads."
The church's bishop, the Rev. T.D. Turner Sr., said the congregation "will burn 'Harry Potter' books and other witchcraft items to let the world know that there are true followers of Jesus Christ who will not call evil good."