The most powerful person on Earth, the president of the United States, apologized to the people of Afghanistan last week. He expressed his regret that American soldiers had burned copies of the Quran, not in some willful act but by mistake. Nonetheless the book burning resulted not only in ill-will but rioting in the streets and the murder of several Americans. It is my opinion that these violent displays are outrageous, bordering on insane, but I do appreciate the offense taken at destroying books containing what some consider sacred writings. In the case of Islam, the Quran is considered to be the speech of God to humankind, word for word. We might not agree, but it doesn't matter what we think.
NPR (National Public Radio) did an interesting piece on the disposal of sacred texts. While burning damaged Qurans is the proper form of disposal, burning them in the trash is sacreligious. I suppose it would be akin to disposing of the remains of a loved one in a dump rather than cremation. It is a matter of intent and decorum.
I was interested in this story even though I'm sure many people wonder what the fuss is about. A fair number of people have asked me about the correct way of disposing of an old bible, and they often give them to me. That is the protocol is some Christian traditions, to give them to a clergyperson. I have thrown bibles out, but it makes me uneasy. In Judiasm old, retired Torah scrolls are formally buried. There have been instances of these torahs being exhumed by unscrupulous antique sellers.
In my mind we want to avoid notions of magical qualities for holy books. We certainly can't condone bloodshed over the disposal of books. On the other hand, humans do have a sense of the sacred, so it is important to "have a care."
What do you think? Was the apology by President Obama too much? Rick Santorum declared it a sign of weakness. Have you ever tried to figure out how to get rid of a bible?
5 comments:
I have tried to figure out how to get rid of a bible, and have ended up keeping it. It just doesn't feel right to put it in the garbage/recycle.
As I read your blog today, I couldn't help but think that this week is Freedom to Read Week. http://freedomtoread.ca/ - also known in the US as "Banned Book Week".
Thanks for making the connection with Freedom to Read Week Nancy. It hadn't occurred to me before, but there are also many people who are prohibited from reading the holy books of their faith.
Seems that the rioting is about so much more than this incident, in my mind but nonetheless, I think the apology was appropriate, to honour and respect the beliefs of others.
I liked your reference to magical qualities of old bibles. I struggled with what to do with old bibles from classrooms in an old school.(They don't seem to want them anymore?) It does feel uneasy,disposing of them, but ultimately God isn't those yellowed pages.
As I look at the number of struggling old churches around, sometimes I think we get caught in similar thinking, in our fear of closing down and merging "houses of God".
Just to clarify...I wasn't condoning burning down churches...just when time and circumstance seems to point to church buildings being sold, it can be a tough concept to feel "right" about.
I spend time with an irreverent group of Reverends who have agreed (tongue in cheek?) that a black van with tinted windows, driven by a team with balaclavas and flame throwers might be a good investment for the United Church to "facilitate change."
So don't apologize Laura!
Post a Comment