Llwellyn Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 When I was living in Houston last year, I wandered out onto a vacant lot while I was out from work sick one day. I had a little trigger lighter with me, and I lit my Bible on fire. It is actually exceedingly difficult to get one of those things to burn, so I began tearing the pages out and building a little pile. The fire burned and burned, but I must admit, sheepishly, that at the end it was not entirely encinerated, but there was a big clump of binding and paper still left. I walked back to the home still nauseated and feverish, but somehow feeling better. I guess it was just the act of defiance, raising the finger and saying "fuck you" to the thoughts of God that wicked people force upon their betters. I didn't get struck down, but according to Christians, that's just because Yahweh is just biding his time. Like the Count of Monte Cristo, Yahweh believes that vengeance is best served cold. So, tell me about your stories and reasons for Bible burning! The pedant and the priest have always been the most expert of logicians -- and the most diligent disseminators of nonsense and worse. The liberation of the human mind has never been furthered by dunderheads; it has been furthered by gay fellows who heaved dead cats into sanctuaries and then went roistering down the highways of the world, proving to all men that doubt, after all, was safe -- that the god in the sanctuary was finite in his power and hence a fraud. One horse-laugh is worth ten thousand syllogisms. It is not only more effective; it is also vastly more intelligent. -- H. L. Mencken, in The American Mercury, January, 1924 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vampyre Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Those fuckers are hard to burn. I usualy have burnt them in my bedroom, it is sort of liberating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizard Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 I've never burned any book..even the totally bad ones. I have a thing for books..can't even get rid of the ones I know I'll never read again.. (like that entire series of Left Behind) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 I shredded mine. That was actually very therapeutic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quicksand Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 Only as paper to smoke-em peace-pipe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-COG Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 I cringe at the thought of burning any books, but here's something to do with your old Bibles. You know how people would write in the margins, like notes from the pastor's sermon or supposed insights from the Holy Spearmint? Gather together different rebuttals, proofs of contradictions, facts from history, etc. concerning the Bible. Then, fill this information in the margins, next to the appropriate verses. Donate the Bible to your local thrift shop. Someone will think that it came from a devout believer (hopefully they won't look too close before they buy it), take it home, and be in for the shock of their life when they start reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Japedo Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 I cringe at the thought of burning any books, but here's something to do with your old Bibles. You know how people would write in the margins, like notes from the pastor's sermon or supposed insights from the Holy Spearmint? Gather together different rebuttals, proofs of contradictions, facts from history, etc. concerning the Bible. Then, fill this information in the margins, next to the appropriate verses. Donate the Bible to your local thrift shop. Someone will think that it came from a devout believer (hopefully they won't look too close before they buy it), take it home, and be in for the shock of their life when they start reading. Now that's a Clever Idea!! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godlessgrrl Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 I've used Bible pages as rolling papers for joints. Mostly I've used them in collages though. It's particularly cathartic to rip them up... tear them... crumple them into origami boulders... They honestly kind of suck as rolling papers, but sometimes ya just get desperate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llwellyn Posted August 20, 2006 Author Share Posted August 20, 2006 I've used Bible pages as rolling papers for joints. I went to a missionary kid high school in Africa, and one of my friends was an atheist, although he had to take the required class on the Bible/Christian theology. He was also a big pot-head, well known amongst the students and teachers. Some times, when we were studying, he would find that he didn't have the subject Bible chapter, because he smoked it as one of his joints. That was hilarious. But he said that it actually made good rolling paper. Mebbe he had a different kind of printing from you?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 I cringe at the thought of burning any books, but here's something to do with your old Bibles. You know how people would write in the margins, like notes from the pastor's sermon or supposed insights from the Holy Spearmint? Gather together different rebuttals, proofs of contradictions, facts from history, etc. concerning the Bible. Then, fill this information in the margins, next to the appropriate verses. Donate the Bible to your local thrift shop. Someone will think that it came from a devout believer (hopefully they won't look too close before they buy it), take it home, and be in for the shock of their life when they start reading. A few weeks ago I was in a hotel in Helsinki. I was bored, and there was the Gideons, so for the first time in more than 10 years I actually started reading the bible. It's such an odd little book when you read it for the first time without the religious paradigm guarding your view. Anyway, I started making comments in the margins whenever I saw something utterly stupid or contradictive. It will either piss off the next person who opens it up or cause them to think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narcissist Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 Haven't burnt any bibles but I did burn a couple of pornos once, when I was xn. It didn't work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwc Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 Yeah, I burned one once. I put it in a pot, put some paint thinner on it and lit it up. It flamed up really nice but all that paper just doesn't burn well. It kind of freaked me out considering how I was brought up to think about books in general (don't burn them) and the bible especially. I was hoping to see some spirit come out of it or something but nothing...I was disappointed. In the end it was nicely therapeutic. mwc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycorth Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 I burnt one recently, and I have yet to use up the rest of the roll of film, so no pics to post yet. It was a very fulfilling and rewarding action; I didn't think it would feel so right, but I got an amazing sense of peace and accomplishment afterward. I've got a few more to burn, and I'll probably save those for special occasions, like Pagan celebrations or something. They make good sacrifices to your favorite Gods It's a great idea to fill one full of rebuttals and then donate it. Nice for those who can't burn 'em or don't want to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astreja Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 A couple of years ago I incinerated a section of Revelations that someone had torn out of a Bible and left in the back alley. I'm generally opposed to the destruction of books but at the same time I feel that the wounded ones should be properly disposed of rather than just chucked into the trash. IIRC, I put it in a dented cooking pot, added a bit of vegetable oil, and had at it with the matches. And scattered the ashes afterwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuaiDan Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 They honestly kind of suck as rolling papers, but sometimes ya just get desperate. That's why you have to convert a soda can into a pipe. Very cheap, quick, effective solution for all your pot smoking needs. Contact me if you can't figger it out on your own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beowulf Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Like Lizard and ex-COG, I personally don't like the idea of burning books of any kind. I'm also not fond of the idea of defacing a book with notes in the margins. I've come across 'way too many books in libraries that some Fundy didn't like, and "annotated" with their own interpretations. It's always hard to get anyone to pay attention to the justifications of your actions - they tend to see only the actions themselves. One could argue that the Fundies and Nazis were burning books to keep others from reading them, whereas this action seems to be more therapeutic for you. However, with any burning or defacing, all the general public will see is vandalism (assuming they see it at all.) Now burning flags on the other hand... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueGiant Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Never burned a Bible, but I helped a friend burn a textbook from a particularly hated course (and the book sucked anyway). Did this on the driveway behind his house in 10 deg F weather (with a nice beeze to boot). If you are going to incinerate something like a book, steps I recommend: Oxygen, Oxygen, Oxygen. I cannot stress this enough when burninating something. You need good airflow and a good supply of O2 to get to that fuel. Anyone remember that triangle of fire from grade-school? Basically air has to get to the fuel, so fan those pages (the textbook was a hardcover, so this was easier. Heat. Never burn alone, make a nice bonfire and structure it for high heat (self-ignition is fun). Containment. Always contain your fires, and be mindful of sparks and the wind. Those little buggers get higher than you'd think. Back to oxygen, well, only so much to do for that. Any oxidizers you can add will help, but avoid chlorine if you can (if you can get chlorate, or even perchlorate, then bully for you, just keep in mind that the stuff is just about powdered oxygen). You could also convert the pages to nitrocellulose for some big flashy (that integrates the oxygen needed to burn into the molecule itself) just be careful should you do so and know what you're doing. Oh, and make sure you have a good way of quenching the fire in a hurry. Goes to that control thing. And if you happen to self-immolate while doing this, I take no responsibility, unless I was the one there setting it up for you. Meh. It is kind of cathartic seeing pages burn, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white_raven23 Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 I'm just not a book burner. Just becasue I don't like or believe in the words within a books pages, I draw the line at willful destruction of any book. I can't even throw a book away. The worst insult I can give any of my books is exile for used bookstore credit. The only time I would ever burn a book of any kind is if it were the only tinder available to start the fire that would be needed to save my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycorth Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 When I burnt that one Babble, I actually went through it first and cut most of the pages out. I put them back in when I was done, but I did this because I knew it would harder to completely consume the entire book if the pages were whole and forming a near-solid mass. I could just poke it with a stick every so often to spread the pages out and help them ignite properly. It does take awhile, but ten minutes to reduce one of the most wicked books ever written to ashes is nothing. And I returned the ashes to the earth and let the rain wash them into the grass. Wonder what kind of fertilization that provided... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vampyre Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 That gives me an IDEA! We could burn a lot of Bibles, mix it with horse shit and wood chips and sell it as Christian fertalizer! GENIUS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starelda Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 I've not burnt any of mine. I haven't got anywhere safe to do it and burning or even throwing out a book feels kinda odd to me. Though you never know, maybe one day one will find itself being slowly devoured by the shredder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueGiant Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 I do hold onto my old bibles. One was a gift from a dead friend, and the other one is just kind of useful to have around. It's kind of nice when I am looking for quotes for kind of creepy villians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knightley Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 I've never burned one, although I'd like to try it, sounds like it would be fun. I threw my bibles away, even the ones that were inscribed personally, but I just couldn't keep them around me anymore. If I want to go read the bible or look up references to it, I can do that online for free like at Skeptic's Annotated Bible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starelda Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 I was thinking about this again today and decided it wouldn't feel that odd if it was a really yacky bible I'd never want to lay eyes on again...like a womens bible I have which is the normal bible text with pages of interpretations/advice from some verses spread throughout. So that found it's way into the shredder today...it felt kinda good, though I didn't shred all of it...just the gospels, first five books, oh and the verses on women submitting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futurekid Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 I remember a comment a christian comedian made once. He was referring to fundamentalists burning Harry Potter books. "If Hitler tried it, it might not be something you want to do." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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