Books that are "off-limits" for Christians

doctoremma

Apropos the thread re: bad language, and mentions of its appearance in classic literature, I am wondering if there are any great works of literature* that are regarded as unsuitable for the committed Christian? I know that things like Harry Potter have been criticized for their "witchcraft" content (I'll take this on faith as I have never read the series). Is there a Christian version of The Satanic Verses? Have any of you guys deliberately avoided certain authors, or prevented your children from accessing them?

*Literature/fiction only. I'm sure at least one member here will object to On The Origin Of The Species....

Benny_Cake

I can't think of any off the top of my head. The Catholic church maintained a list of forbidden books for centuries but it was effectively discontinued in the 1960s. It's possible that some individual groups at the more fundamentalist end of the spectrum may discourage certain works, and every few years there seems to be a story from the US about a school district prohibiting a certain book (Catcher in the Rye was probably the most controversial).

doctoremma

Benny_Cake wrote: »

The Catholic church maintained a list of forbidden books for centuries but it was effectively discontinued in the 1960s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Index_Librorum_Prohibitorum#Listed_works_and_authors

Although this list includes censorship, along with various philosophers, of Kepler and Galileo, apparently Darwin was never on it!

Benny_Cake wrote: »

It's possible that some individual groups at the more fundamentalist end of the spectrum may discourage certain works, and every few years there seems to be a story from the US about a school district prohibiting a certain book (Catcher in the Rye was probably the most controversial).

Have just read that there are lots of books subject to transient bans because they feature talking animals. Apparently a no-no. Although, in the case of the baked Caterpillar in Alice And Wonderland, there may more to it that the fact he talks....

Benny_Cake

doctoremma wrote: »

Have just read that there are lots of books subject to transient bans because they feature talking animals. Apparently a no-no. Although, in the case of the baked Caterpillar in Alice And Wonderland, there may more to it that the fact he talks....

I didn't know that, although I see that some parents in Kansas tried to have Charlotte's Web banned for that very reason! I wonder if CS Lewis realised that the Chronicles of Narnia were blasphemous?

doctoremma

Benny_Cake wrote: »

I didn't know that, although I see that some parents in Kansas tried to have Charlotte's Web banned for that very reason! I wonder if CS Lewis realised that the Chronicles of Narnia were blasphemous?

From that article:
Such was the case at a junior high in Batley, West Yorkshire, England, which became the center of international attention in 2003 when the school’s Headteacher decreed that all books featuring pigs should be removed because it could potentially offend the school’s Muslim students and their parents.


And there's me thinking it was only fundamentalist American Christians who banned books. Must keep an eye out closer to home in future...

sbsquarepants

doctoremma wrote: »

Have just read that there are lots of books subject to transient bans because they feature talking animals. Apparently a no-no. Although, in the case of the baked Caterpillar in Alice And Wonderland, there may more to it that the fact he talks....

What's the problem with talking animals?
Isn't there a talking donkey in the bible (and in shrek:D), talking snake too, but we don't like him!

Does that mean that the jungle book is blasphemous, what about babe?

doctoremma

sbsquarepants wrote: »

What's the problem with talking animals?
Isn't there a talking donkey in the bible (and in shrek:D), talking snake too, but we don't like him!

Does that mean that the jungle book is blasphemous, what about babe?

Apparently, it has been claimed that talking animals are insulting to god, as they seek to elevate animals to the same status as us special human beans.

Manach

Censorship was a common feature of most social system (ie under the current ECHR if it is proportion to achieve the accepted aims), with works either being banned or censored to fit into currently accepted doctrine - eg currently Twain's Tom Sawyer books.
Some books by their nature are corrupting and these have been denounce, eg Sade's works. Nowadays in the name of pluralist freedom it is nigh impossible to have that or books of a similar nature to be placed on restriction.

doctoremma

Manach wrote: »

Nowadays in the name of pluralist freedom it is nigh impossible to have that or books of a similar nature to be placed on restriction.

And that's a position I agree with.

I'm wondering if any Christians here have self-imposed book bans?

doctoremma

Manach wrote: »

with works either being banned or censored to fit into currently accepted doctrine - eg currently Twain's Tom Sawyer books.

That's an excellent point that I (inexcusably) skimmed over in my previous response but would like to think about now.

I read Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn books when I was younger (would have been mid 80s, aged 8-10 years). I'm not aware of any vetting process by my parents, nor was there ever any discussion about the historical context of certain words used in the texts. The numero uno bad word wasn't anything I was ever exposed to socially and I suspect I didn't really process the impact of it (I would be far more likely to analyse that upon reading it as an adult).

This removes the religious boundary to my original post, but do we not let our children read Mark Twain? Are these books no longer a standard part of childrens' box sets?

Corkfeen

I read Mark Twain although I believe there's been some fairly questionable releases of his books in recent years that edit out certain words etc. It seems dishonest to deny that there were extremely questionable elements in what was acceptable during different time periods and to cut out the material as if it never happened.

Mardy Bum

Ulysses takes a good swing at all things catholic/christian (the subtext of the first chapter is a parody of the mass and there is an "indecent" scene further on and was banned initially in Ireland.

Benny_Cake

Mardy Bum wrote: »

Ulysses takes a good swing at all things catholic/christian (the subtext of the first chapter is a parody of the mass and there is an "indecent" scene further on and was banned initially in Ireland.

The list of banned books was probably a pretty good guide to the best literature of the 20th century. The last ban was issued in 1998 and only expired in 2010 - no idea what the book concerned was though.

homer911

Perhaps going off topic, but if you have ever read Peig Sayers, the school text book version was highly edited before being deemed suitable for Irish school students - all references to alcohol were removed. If you read the unabridged version (its available in English!), Peig was fond of the hard stuff..

sbsquarepants

doctoremma wrote: »

Apparently, it has been claimed that talking animals are insulting to god, as they seek to elevate animals to the same status as us special human beans.

What about parrots?:D
I had a budgie once (actually named benny after the last pope) who could say a few words, we never discussed his religious beliefs however.

doctoremma wrote: »

I read Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn books when I was younger (would have been mid 80s, aged 8-10 years). I'm not aware of any vetting process by my parents, nor was there ever any discussion about the historical context of certain words used in the texts. The numero uno bad word wasn't anything I was ever exposed to socially and I suspect I didn't really process the impact of it (I would be far more likely to analyse that upon reading it as an adult). .

I fully agree with you. I actually done it in school, for my junior cert (roughly 20 years ago) there was a black girl in the class and the teacher was very visibly uncomfortable with the language involved, which always struck me as odd because neither her nor anyone else seemed to care. In fact it was his constant apologising that seemed to bother/embarrass her a lot more!

sbsquarepants

Corkfeen wrote: »

I read Mark Twain although I believe there's been some fairly questionable releases of his books in recent years that edit out certain words etc. It seems dishonest to deny that there were extremely questionable elements in what was acceptable during different time periods and to cut out the material as if it never happened.

It's crazy, you can't change history to suit the mood of the day. Well you shouldn't, but it's done all the time.
In the same vein certain radio stations in america have doctored the John Lennon song imagine to say "and ONE religion too" instead of "and NO religion too".
Now that's blasphemy for you!

lmaopml

Mardy Bum wrote: »

Ulysses takes a good swing at all things catholic/christian (the subtext of the first chapter is a parody of the mass and there is an "indecent" scene further on and was banned initially in Ireland.

ulysess was a day out in Dublin. It wasn't a parody of Mass. It was a dialogue essentially among friends.

blooms day etc.

Mardy Bum

lmaopml wrote: »

ulysess was a day out in Dublin. It wasn't a parody of Mass. It was a dialogue essentially among friends.

blooms day etc.

Yeah you might want to read the book rather than Cliff Notes before commenting. Bloom's day is the name given to the day which commemorates the day which takes place in the novel. It was a fun day out in Dublin I will give you that

One of the characters (Bloom) spills his seed while watching a girl on the beach, visits prostitutes and is Jewish although a secular Jew who sees himself as Irish! A lot of ardent Catholics (represented by the Citizen in the book) didn't agree with this.

Stephen refuses to succumb to his mother's last wish; to pray at her side.

And a lot of people argue the book finishes with Molly playing with herself, YES, YES, YES.

Joyce had an extreme dislike for catholicism and had no faith in any god.

Also included is extraordinary narrative invention, various philosophical enquiries both epistemological as well as ontological and probably the most "real" characters fiction has produced (Someone wrote a book length biography on the main character).

Whilst the mass subtext in the first chapter is only one of many, it is quite clearly there.
This book should be essential reading for everyone.

doctoremma

Mardy Bum wrote: »

This book should be essential reading for everyone.

Your description the first to actually make me want to read it....

Corkfeen

doctoremma wrote: »

Your description the first to actually make me want to read it....

I love Joyce but still don't want to read it.