Should a public library offer religious books?

Question

http://www.dallasvoice.com/artman/publish/article_6322.php

If this pastor is rallying for gay themed books to be pulled from the shelves of a local library....should we also pull religious themed books from these shelves?
- A tax funded library should not support or endorse any religions by stocking certain books
-Or can't we all just get along, and allow books from all interests to be stocked.


-Interesting point to the article...before the pastor publicized his gimmick to remove the gay themed books, no one had checked the books out....now there is a waiting list. Ignorant fundie.

-Last thought, why would an inner city Baptist Church, in the heart of the gay community, call an anti-gay pastor...shouldn't a church be reaching out to serve the community it is in? Don't think having a homophobe at this church is going to invite gay people in the door.

Your thoughts? Gay books/religious books being offered at a library....and gay neighborhood church calls antigay pastor

Answer 1

A tax supported library should not be removing books based on the religious interpretation of one group. If they are going to do so, then I'd call for the removal of any books which promote homophobia. I consider homophobia a sin, because it conflicts with Christ's commandment to treat others as we want to be treated. Therefore, if this pastor can have books removed based on his religious beliefs, so can I.

Of course, the reality is that a library is meant to be a place of learning. To be effective, it needs to reflect all points of view. A public library is not a bookcase in a Southern Baptist Church office, nor should it be treated as such.

As far as hiring an anti-gay pastor in a gay neighborhood, let's be realistic. The Southern Baptist church located therein has no consideration for the neighborhood, because only those promoting homophobia are right and good and worthy of God.

Answer 2

It's handled secularly and non-sectarian. Any group or gathering meeting the standards and requirements, and following the guidelines is allowed equal access. The library doesn't sponsor the events, and no additional taxpayer money is spent. (The lights are on, and the heat is on in the room - but since anyone could be there, they would be anyway.) However, it is a meeting room, and not in the library study and rack sections, and not on the library lawn. Going back to my high school (and junior high) days... we used to have Friday night D&D sessions at the public library. It was a weekly thing, but occasionally they would ask to bump us out. We all became acquainted on a first name basis with the librarians, and they were very nice about it. They simply said that there wasn't a provision for any group booking the meeting room regularly, so they would of course allow it, on the condition that we were reasonable about sharing. Which we were. However, the town libraries (we have two) do have town sponsored (taxpayer supported) events that are religious in nature. Although it's clear that a ritual ceremony is not allowed per the guidelines, there is always one thing overlooked - Christian folklore rituals. Christmas events, Easter egg hunts, and so on.

Answer 3

No, and here is why. Libraries are STATE supported, and since we have separation of church and state, the library should not offer bibles or other religious books.

Fundies have GOT to be the most horrid creatures on the face of the planet. Whole groups of them try to get books like Harry Potter removed as well as books by Mark Twain, Shakespeare, Earnest Hemingway and others. That's just sick.

Answer 4

Your right in that the Church should move since it doesn't serve the community its in, but thats the responsibility of the community, to enforce its own bias. However Babtists are an Old Testament Church in that they follow John the Babtist, not Jesus per se, so their rules are based on tribal beliefs more than individual responsibilites. Like their leader, they too meet their deaths in the political arena because life is too complex for the tribal mentality.

Answer 5

Banning books is the first step in the movement towards a complete totalitarian society. No book should be banned from anywhere.

No one is forced to read books they don't like. Pastors, and other bigoted believers in fantasy, should not have any say at all in what a Public Library contains.

Answer 6

A large part of the mission of public libraries is free access to information. More information is available from the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom - http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/intellectual.htm

Answer 7

I'm a Christian, and would NOT support all gay-themed (or any other "themed" books) being pulled from libraries. Isn't the point of a library to do research and look at different points of view? You cannot arrive at truth when everything you read or hear is censored and skewed.

Aside from porn and how-to books on committing mass murder, I don't think I would support removing any informational books from a library.

Answer 8

i think all books should be in public libraries. including xxx. i say that because it should be up to the individual person to check out the book of their choice. not the government or the church or anybody else. now i have no problem with a library seperating them so that people have a deffinite boundry from one type to the other but other than that a book is a book is a book. leave them alone.

Answer 9

First of all, that guy is gay - hands down. GAY.

Second, a public library should strive to provide books on as many topics as possible, controversial and otherwise.

Answer 10

All book should be made available at public libraries. If there is a topic that offends you then don't check out or read books on that topic. Censorship is wrong and anti-democratic. Religion should never be allowed to enforce censorship or stifle ideas.