Banned!

 

Banned books.... There have always been books which have been outlawed by the popular opinion. Whether they were too full of questionable moral elements, too politically volatile, or simply misunderstood, there have always been books on the "bad" list. The "bad" and therefore banned list.

We look back and laugh at some of those bans: Charlotte's Web, Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, and Canterbury Tales, of all things! Other books, books like The Handmaid's Tale, The Great Gatsby, and 1984 have been banned for more obvious reasons. Perhaps we, American Christians, have had a hand in banning these books. These books may contain inordinate amounts of explicit or profane content, and so they are not fit for us or anyone else to read, we reason. Perhaps we are right. Perhaps we are not.

We are right in being repulsed by the content of some books. We are right in not wanting to fill our minds and hearts with what is wrong. 

We are facing a problem. Books that we love, books that celebrate what is good and beautiful and true are being banned, too. Banned, suppressed, and cast down by the people whose books we once had the power to ban. Books like Little House on the Prairie, Of Mice and Men, To Kill a Mockingbird. Some people look on these books saying "These are so bad! These books are full of wrong ideas, outdated thinking. We need to remove them and move on." We disagree, and rightly, but do we have a right to protest when we've banned their books in the past? What are we going to do?

I have come to the conclusion that censorship in our society is wrong. So what? I already knew that. You think. But why is censorship wrong? Because it restricts free speech? Partly, but what even is free speech? Why do we want it? Free speech is the product of free thought. The problem with banning books is that you are banning thoughts with the books. You are banning the outcry of a human soul. 

This is why it is so, so crucial that we don't ban books. Books may pose serious questions. They may be good, they may be bad. They may be trivial. Just because a book is bad does not mean it should be banned. Instead, we need to think about what makes it bad. We need to examine our thinking. Perhaps, if the Spirit leads, we should read the book. Know it before you judge it.

I understand that most parents don't want their five-year-olds reading books on certain topics. That is admirable. Parents have a God-given right to train up their children, which they should exercise. However, as these children reach teen and adulthood, are we going to ban them from books that don't fit our ways of thinking? Or are we going to teach our children to think for themselves, give them wise counsel, and release them prayerfully into the world of books?

Yes, there will be trouble. Yes, there will be questions. Yes, young people may struggle and even be led astray. But when we remove censorship and instead choose to teach critical thought, we give ourselves a chance at owning what we believe, exercising real faith in the midst of doubt.

 Don't burn the books!