What the - b-b-b-BOOK BURNING?!?! Looks like Kristallnacht time in Cedar Rapids.
Sure, freedom of speech means you can burn your books, or your flag, or your effigy. I suppose it's even OK to burn your cross, as long as you don't do it on someone else's lawn. Is burning your cross offensive? Of course. And this is one baby-step short of it.
While I fully support everyone's First Amendment right to express idiotic ideas, it's also important to engage the ideas. There's an inherent contradiction in using your freedom of speech to denigrate and suppress someone else's freedom of speech. That's one of the dangers of beliving that your side has an exclusive franchise on The Truth. Here's another contradiction: if your faith is so strong, and your belief so certain, why do you feel the need to destroy someone else's art? Do you have that much doubt?
This is an awful moment for tolerance and expression, but it is a classic moment for local bureaucracy (speaking as a local, uh, bureaucrat): No discussion of the big picture, but lots of discussion of ordinances.
(Gotta post the whole story: CR Gazette is pay-to-play.)
By Keith E. Gottschalk
The Gazette
Sunday, July 11, 2004, 10:04:11 AM
CEDAR RAPIDS -- Throughout American church history, preachers have built bonfires for the burning of books and other materials they believed offended God.
The Rev. Scott Breedlove, pastor of The Jesus Church, 225 Fifth Ave. SW, wanted to rekindle that tradition in a July 28 ceremony where books, CDs, videos and clothing he and his 100-member congregation deem offensive would be put to the fire.
City and county fire codes don't allow the burning of plastics and recyclables, however, so a symbolic ceremony with candles in the non-denominational church's parking lot may have to suffice.
"We don't want a situation where people are burning rubbish as a recreational fire," Fire Department District Chief Brad Brenneman said when asked about the church's plan.
Another option -- to burn the items in rural Linn County -- won't fly either. The county air quality division, which approves all burn permits in the county and Cedar Rapids, prohibits the transporting of material from the city to the county to burn.
"I can pretty much guarantee you that we would be denying a burn permit for those activities," said Tony Daugherty, senior air pollution specialist for Linn County. "This is definitely a first for us for something like this organization is proposing."
The church has not formally applied for a burn permit. If it does and a permit is denied, the church could appeal to the county Health Department.
Breedlove said a city fire inspector suggested shredding the offending material, but Breedlove said that wouldn't seem biblical.
"I joked with the guy that St. Paul never had to worry about fire codes," Breedlove said.
Breedlove said he got the idea during a Bible study of St. Paul's ministry in Ephesus in the Book of Acts: "A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly."
"I said, 'For once let's do something,' " Breedlove said. "Let's go to our homes and look through and see maybe if there are movies we bought that we shouldn't have as a Christian. Maybe there are books, CDs, music or clothes that are not modest, (and) Christians shouldn't be wearing them."
Breedlove said the disposal is voluntary.
"If I get rid of a certain movie, I'm not saying everyone in my congregation should get rid of that movie," Breedlove said.
Breedlove said he understands that some outside his congregation might recoil at the thought of burning books and movies. He added, though, that if people believe these items keep them from living a godly life, they have a right to dispose of them if they want.
"I would say that our society has come to a point where there are a lot of things we say we don't do anymore that maybe we should be doing," Breedlove said.
Breedlove's alternate plan calls for a "Cleansing of the Temple" service at 7 p.m. July 28, where people would throw materials into garbage cans and then light candles to symbolically "burn" the material.
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