Banned Book Week is around October, and the list comes out several months before. A fellow nerd and great friend of mine named John published a book called "LOOKING FOR ALASKA" that got banned and wasn't allowed to be taught to ELEVENTH graders because of one small sex part that was less than a page and wasn't even graphic.

This led to another book being banned that just recently had a movie: THE GOLDEN COMPASS.

But first to the question: What is a 'banned book'?
A banned book is a novel that is deemed too offensive to be taught in class. Such books are on a list that gets released usually at the beginning of every academic year. In my opinion (and sorry for using offensive words), banning a book has to be the most RETARDED thing you could do; Schools hate how kids don't read enough, yet they ban books?


AND NOW, here is the reason THE GOLDEN COMPASS was banned:
A nun in the book says, "Christianity was a large mistake." by ONE character in ONE page of the entire book. I mean, if that one line was changed, the book would be approved?

It's official: The first amendment in this country has been taken into the woods and shot in the head. It doesn't exist anymore, it's now been replaced by, "Freedom to freaking complain about everything and anything even .01% remotely controversial and to make it so your complaint disables access to things or saying of things for EVERYONE."

What's your stance on this? Do you honestly think this book should be banned because of one line of dialog that says one thing against Christianity? But sure, we can make fun of Muslims, can't we? That's perfectly fine, we can call Achmed a towel head but saying Christianity was actually OOPS: The diary of a bored guy. All the hate sickens me. Let people read the book if they want to.



...We're going to have to add another amendment: Freedom to read.

I completely agree with you. The need to hide away things that are viewed as controversial is really a big problem with the world today. But, keep in mind that much of the rest of the world is much worse than anything we can really imagine here in the US. Take the topic HERE for instance that BigBob posted about YouTube. Other countries out there go as for as to block entire sections of the internet from their people because it probably does or may contain information they find offensive or controversial to their beliefs.

I myself am not a Christian, and it is for this reason here. Christianity as a whole (I know there are many exceptions) cannot allow different viewpoints to exist, especially if they are against their beliefs. And to be fair, this is the way it ends up being with most religions and is not specific to Christianity.

But people do not realize that the more you shelter children from the "dangers" of the outside world, the more likely they are to get into those sort of things as they grow older. In example, the popular phrase that the preacher's children are the ones you have to watch.

I grew up, from as early as I can remember, watching R-Rated movies and reading really whatever I wanted to. I was taught, and taught well, the difference between fiction and reality, and viewpoints and facts early on.

And just for them banning John Green's book, "Looking For Alaska", I'm now going to buy it and read it in class anyway. Not going to let these pompous over-extreme fools stop me from getting my literary fix.

Thats pretty dodgy.. I mean.. Its not like its book that is against christianity views.. like.. thats not the target of the book..

We wernt alowed to do greese as our grade 5 play thing, because parents complained that the movie is based upon bad teenagers and sex... Like.. wth?

Here's the thing *excuse my language*

School is for learning
So are books
Parents love it when you READ



Parents love to b****
It makes them feel powerful
And even when the situation is fixed
They still continue to moan and b****
Because they want to boost their self-confidence and sense of importance

The reason why the Golden Compass was banned was not only because of a line of dialog that only HINTED at Christianity, but because the author was Atheist; I find that discriminatory towards the author and I find banning this book retardedly childish.

Teachers like to educate kids
Authors like to provide kids with reading
Which is education;
And parents love it when kids learn
But immediately
When kids learn about the real world
And reality
And Real life
And anything that isn't in La-La-Mathemagicland

They will go up in arms
And b****
And b****
And whine
And kick
And scream like little babies
And b**** until they get their way
And if they don't get their way
The kid suffers because the kid either gets removed from the school or humiliated because the kid's parent(s) are freakin' insane

So thus ends my long, ranting poem about how parents like to complain for the sake of hearing their own voices.

If they can ban Manhunt, why can't they ban books? My problem with the world's society is that they ban things only one way.

There's hundreds of movies in this fair world that should be banned completely if they would apply the "there's one sex scene in it, oh noes, BAN" rule to it. Thus, why do it for the books? I don't get how there isn't a standard.

I feel about The Golden Compass like I feel about Neongenesis Evangelion. Both of them contains something that is against my beliefs, but just because I watch it doesn't mean I'm going to change my religion or doubt it. If I cannot watch something like this without faltering, then my faith was obviously not strong enough.

I mean MAGIC is against my belief, I still play card games called MAGIC the Gathering...

Thus, I agree, it is ridiculous that the Golden Compass was banned, even though I'm a Christian.

Hence why parents just complain; They're like little babies, wanting attention.

I'm going to have to say you don't know what your talking about on this one. Reasons? teachers deciede themselves what they want to teach, I've never heard of a national organization/group deciding what can and can't be taught. Other than several national programs and goverment institutions states are free to do whatever they want too, there is nothing like that in South Dakota. Furthermore I know for a fact that the Golden Compass is not banned anywhere in South Dakotas schools and no one in their right mind would ban it for that. Where are your references? I read Catcher in the Rye among other books in HS, and watched Schindler's list. Hell I watched Holocaust movies in 8th grade that showed hundreds of naked people, some dead some not. Until further information bs.

Whether it was banned or not, we can still turn this conversation on the general opinion of the book, which is usually very hateful. I've had many (parents, hey, coincidence?) tell me about how bad the book is. In fact, I received an e-mail the other day, one of those chain-letter things. It urged everyone to boycott the book. =P

Reasons? The writer was an Atheist and there's minor references against Christianity and religion as a whole. Which is the same thing that happened to shows that was shown on tv here, Pokemon, Yugioh, etc.

I remember people spreading rumours that if you cut a tazo (which was a small disc with various Pokemon on it, which could be collected through our local chips company) in half, a demon would come out.

Same thing is now happening with this book.

banning a book gives it more power and influence over the few people that actually do read it than it otherwise would have.

Instead of ignoring the rant of some atheist on how the Catholic Church is evil (which I do believe the author is metaphorically bashing more than Christianity in general) people have apparently banned this book. This is going to do nothing to stop the book from being read. It's not like you can get the publisher to stop printing the book. Instead you are going to create way more interest in the book than there otherwise would have been.

And really, the kids that read the book won't get it and the ones that do probably are already questioning life and religion and their parents enough as it is that this book (or series of books) aren't going to suddenly push them into atheism all of a sudden.

I think it's silly. Why ban are we banning an opinion about a religion? This makes us look no better than the muslim radicals that kill people for insulting Islam or Mohammed. Sure not the same extreme but it's still religious prejudice.

Banning anything gives it more... attractiveness.. desire to obtain...
Take for example a show here in Australia, underbelly. Its all about our melbroune gang wars.. but they wouldnt show it in our state, because one of the trials is still ongoing.

People had the whole series before it was even aired, because the made it desirable to get.

True, but banning a book is stupid; they should stop complaining about us reading and just let us read. It's never enough for the parents, they will find a reason to complain.

Thats life I guess, people chuck a fuss and stop us from doing something as simple as reading a book because it has the tinyest thing wrong and conflicts with there religious views...

What's funny is the reason they also banned the book is because the author was an Atheist. That's hilariously dumb.

Iblock I don't know if you read my post if not you should read it. I seriously doubt they banned the book for one line of text, or because he's an atheist.

You said so teachers decide themselves. Maybe his teacher did.

To Zylo: They can and they DID ban it because of one line of dialog, and because the author was an atheist. The teacher didn't ban it, the entire school system banned it to be taught in the curriculum, they said it's too anti-Christian. My opinion: They're too anti-everything else.

To Bob:The teachers usually get their legal asses kicked when it comes to this kind of stuff. 99% of the time, they have no say in anything the buildings teach.

America most of the time isn't even free anymore. It makes me sad that our own government is collapsing on itself, and the people fighting for our country are trying so hard to keep our freedom intact. They should let us at least have the freedom to read whatever we want in school...



.....Sickening.

You see, part of the problem is it's the uptight people who care enough to get onto boards that have the power to ban books that are going to keep this country circling censorship. People who don't mind their children reading whatever don't care enough to get on these boards so it's not going to change.

The same way Pot won't be legalized because people who smoke pot are the last ones wanting to get into Washington... that and hemp would destroy cotton.

Originally posted by Rgturner

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You see, part of the problem is it's the uptight people who care enough to get onto boards that have the power to ban books that are going to keep this country circling censorship. People who don't mind their children reading whatever don't care enough to get on these boards so it's not going to change.

The same way Pot won't be legalized because people who smoke pot are the last ones wanting to get into Washington... that and hemp would destroy cotton.

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Err.... Good point? I don't know if this is either insulting or supporting.

wow..."banning" (just found this out xD) a book becuse of one line,like that?
it makes me wonder why a nun would say it lol