"Interesting" CNN special

[Sindawe]

You probably were using the wrong edition...

*SNORT*  Anything beyond AD&D rules edition is "Sugered Up Fairy Gag Juice" suitable only for posers who would not know a +5 Intelligent Vorpal sword from a dull table knife. Lolth take them all and be done with it. :neener:

[brimic]

And yes, I believe burning books is evil.  Just my personal opinion.

I aint going to argue with you that the fundies are off their rockers , but burning books is evil?  Is a book any different than a pile of wood chips, lumber, or birch logs all of which burn real nicely? Are books imbued with some sort of mystical quality by a benevolent all- powerful creator that makes them sacred?

[Sindawe]

Are books imbued with some sort of mystical quality by a benevolent all- powerful creator that makes them sacred?

Yes.  Books are repositories of knowledge, wisdom and culture.  Via books, those who once lived and are now dust can still speak to us in the present of their hopes, their follies, their dreams and their aspirations for the future.  Via books, we can learn of the paths travelled by our fore fathers, and avoid the pitfalls they stumbled into.  By burning them, we not only disregard the lives of effort and learning they record, but also our history AND our posterity.  A great tragedy and loss for our kind was the burning of the library of Alexandria.  And to put it very bluntly...

THOSE WHO BURN BOOKS, BURN PEOPLE.

[Guest]

I dont think that burning books is inherently evil. This day in age they arent even the main source of information. There was a time when burning a book meant that the knowledge within its pages was lost forever, today information is more widely available and the value of a book really doesnt extend past the value of the wood-pulp that its made of. However, i will say that the burning of books calls to mind the most vile of thoughts. Historicaly books were burned for evil *reasons* and doing so today calls memories of those reasons forth and automatically associates them with whoever is holding the matches. In other words burning books is probably the most idiotic thing a person could ever do to further a political cause. It is mindnumbingly foolish as it automatically repells any support a person might have had, and for me i would never ally myself with someone that stupid.

[brimic]

Yes.  Books are repositories of knowledge, wisdom and culture

So could a McDonalds Big Mac, but that isn't going to prevent me from eating it, they will make more.

A great tragedy and loss for our kind was the burning of the library of Alexandria.

I agree.  Isn't the printing press a wonderful invention?

[Iapetus]

Then of course there's Jack "Role-playing games teach you real magic (or make you kill yourself)" Chick

Gee, none of the DM I played with ever looked like THAT.  And no matter how intricate the verbal components, none of the spells MY clerics cast ever worked in real life, even when the characters alignment matched my own.  I've been CHEATED!  I should sue TSR for FRAUD!!!

Thats another thing I "like" about the Chick tracts - how everyone who disagrees with his point of view (atheists, evolutionists, Pagans*, Bhuddists**, Catholics***, Masons****, preachers who haven't tried hard enough to spread the word*****) are invariably drawn as snarling, foul-tempred, foul-mouthed, bastards/bitches (and usually with black hair too - what's that about?).

* = Satanists
** = Satanists
*** = Satanists
**** = guess what?
***** = surprisingly, not Satanists (but still going to Hell anyway).

[Sindawe]

...and usually with black hair too - what's that about?

Black is synonymous with darkness and evil in western culture.  So if one wishes to make cast a character as a badguy, dress/color them black.

[Perd Hapley]

THOSE WHO BURN BOOKS, BURN PEOPLE

You can't be serious.  If this were true, the book-burners in question would unquestionably be bombing abortion centers rather than messing about with piddly nonsense like Harry Potter.

[RevDisk]

You probably were using the wrong edition...

*SNORT*  Anything beyond AD&D rules edition is "Sugered Up Fairy Gag Juice" suitable only for posers who would not know a +5 Intelligent Vorpal sword from a dull table knife. Lolth take them all and be done with it. :neener:

Ha.  Okey then.  You just need to D&D with a better crowd, then.   ;P

For instance, find a mostly female coven, convince them to play "D&D, Drinking Edition" (yea, we made a drinking game out of D&D), and videotape the drunken witches trying to figure out how to properly cast a spell using dice instead of their normal accessories.

I aint going to argue with you that the fundies are off their rockers  , but burning books is evil?  Is a book any different than a pile of wood chips, lumber, or birch logs all of which burn real nicely? Are books imbued with some sort of mystical quality by a benevolent all- powerful creator that makes them sacred?

Yep.  Yep.  Yep.  In their respective order, of course.  Any other questions?

Thats another thing I "like" about the Chick tracts - how everyone who disagrees with his point of view (atheists, evolutionists, Pagans*, Bhuddists**, Catholics***, Masons****, preachers who haven't tried hard enough to spread the word*****) are invariably drawn as snarling, foul-tempred, foul-mouthed, bastards/bitches (and usually with black hair too - what's that about?).

I always found Chick tracts pretty funny myself.  Doubly any that specifically insulted activities I enjoy.