Shades of Fahrenheit 451. Written in 1953, it is the story of a society that does not want people to think about anything other than what they are told and allowed to think. Books are routinely burned because they make people think. Although we may not have the fires depicted in the novel or in Hitler’s Germany, we now have new voices to ban books deemed “inappropriate,” threatening traditional values, or presenting new views of history.
School libraries and librarians are now being routinely attacked as purveyors of filth and worse, new ways of thinking. This is not only the case in areas where we usually think of such attacks, but also right here in New Jersey. The attacks come from both the left and the right, objecting to Mark Twain as well as positive images of LGBT persons.
What is it that make people fear books? They are rich with ideas and challenge us to think outside of our comfort zones. The parents who challenge a rich inclusion of books are frightened that their children will not reflect their own narrow views of the world. So sad and so frightening.
Prayer for the Day
You have made us sentient beings, O God, with minds to question,
For questioning is at the heart of knowledge and understanding;
May we not be afraid of new ideas as we seek wisdom,
For a shuttered mind is not open to the grace of your Spirit.
Grant, O Lord, that we fear not the new or different
But that we welcome insight into understanding.
In the name of the One who opens us to the world,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
There must be something in books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.
- Ray Bradbury, from Fahrenheit 451 (1920-2012)
Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.
- Laurie Halse Anderson, writer, from Speak
Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime. (from Ginzburg v. United States, 383 U.S. 463, 1966)
Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart (1915-1985)
Some of the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Luke 19:39