Book Burning - Legal or Illegal?

[GenMarshall]

This discussion has been spawned out of another religious thread. However the focus is geared more towards burning books in general and not just burning the Bible, Torah, Koran, or any other holy text.

Discuss away and keep it civil please.

 

[Perfection]

Banning burning books is stupid fascist nonsense.

EDIT: DAMMIT! I VOTED THE OTHER WAY THAT I WANTED, OH WELL!

 

[shortguy]

Why on Earth would book burning be banned?

 

[woody60707]

If you can burn a flag, i guess why not a book,..... logical that is

But somehow that logic doesn't seem right.

 

[GenMarshall]

I feel that book burning should be banned in order to preserve our culture and history. I'll only give exceptions to books that are worn beyond repair and unreadable as well as cannot be recycled. The only appropreate place to burn these old worn out unreadable books should be eather waste incinerators or waste-to-energy plants.

 

[Perfection]

Why on Earth would book burning be banned?

Because you're not smart enough to decide what is best for you,

 

[Perfection]

I feel that book burning should be banned in order to preserve our culture and history.

Maybe you could make the argument to force preservation of specific old historical books, but there's enough KJV bibles so that losing one isn't gonna mean no more KJVs.

 

[skadistic]

All books should be burned equal to thier value. Now an old historical book like the first print bible or the first hand made copy of the Karma Sutra with coloured pictures has an insain amount of value. Your average everyday bible is worth what you can buy one new for. Is it rude to burn a bible? Depends on the situation. Is it rude to burn Darwin or Hawkings? Again it depends. Some thing is worth what its buyer will pay for it. Thats a quote I think. To me a bible is worth only its price. It would be great if people stopped burning stuff altogether unless its clean coal or propane.

 

[JonnyB]

Burning a book you own should not be illegal. But if there were separate rules to protect books that are very old (and subsequently very rare) I would grant some leeway.

But burning books in general I have no problem with, how many millions of copies of the Atkins diet do we still need?

 

[QuoVadisNation]

Only if they have a premit to burn litter, and only if their right to freedom of speech didn't advocate the physical harming or open discrimination of those in mind. We are talking about generic holy books, right?

Don't get me wrong, even if it was legal, they'd probably still sue.

But again, now we'd need to consider State laws. I wonder if something like that would even go to Federal? I wonder what Europe's rules are? I would imagine burning the Koran gets you thirty years.. and then death.

 

[GenMarshall]

Only if they have a premit to burn litter, and only if their right to freedom of speech didn't advocate the harming or discrimination of those in mind. We are talking about generic holy books, right?

That is my main consern is that if people burn holy books just to smite and PO the religious people. Then I feel that book burning should be made illegal if the burner's intent is in harming and/or discrimination.

Don't get me wrong, even if it was legal, they'd probably still sue.

Scientology is something that I know would do if you burn their holy texts .

 

[QuoVadisNation]

Advocating harm and discrimination is actually the usual legal limitation on freedom of speech.. so I guess book burning follows. I think..

Scientology has holy texts?!?! What are they called, the website of John? PDF files to the Romans?

 

[silver 2039]

If I own a book, it is my private property to do with as I please. If I want to burn it, is my choice, if i want to have intercourse with it that is also my choice.

The only exception should be when a private individual owns a 3,000 year old copy of Playboy magaizine or something like that. That shouldn't be burnt.

 

[Perfection]

PO the religious people.

You don't have the right to never be POed by what people say.

 

[Grisu]

Book burning should not only be legal, but encouraged. Call the firemen

no really, I can't see a single reason why people should not be allowed to burn books they own.

 

[steviejay]

Book burning should be illegal in my opinion. All books should be kept for future generations, even the bad ones so they know how we ended up so messed up.

Well......... illegal except for the Harry Potter series, I'm all for that

 

[aaglo]

Book burning is legal AFAIK (atleast here).

And I'm ok with that: book burning should be legal. But it doesn't make the act sensible.

 

[Alvaro da Luna]

Illegal? Nah! Except if it is one of the last available copies of a book, it is not your book your burning or you're violating environmental laws by burning it.

 

[Truronian]

What if its a book of flags?

 

[Rik Meleet]

If a book (or document) is special (for uniqueness especially) enough that it is generally considered "belonging to us all" than I support forbidding to burn that specific book. Examples: Book of Kells, The Dutch Constitution of 1579, Leonardo's Codex Trivulzianus, etc.
Me burning my copy of this book should not be forbidden - for example.