Missouri pastor on upcoming book-burning: "If God told me to burn the book Clifford the Big Red Dog, then I'd burn the book Clifford the Big Red Dog"

[pesco]

Originally published at: Missouri pastor on upcoming book-burning: "If God told me to burn the book Clifford the Big Red Dog, then I'd burn the book Clifford the Big Red Dog" | Boing Boing

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[Brainspore]

Protip: If you’re hearing voices in your head telling you to burn Clifford the Big Red Dog then it’s probably not God who is talking to you. (Well, not Jehovah anyway. I guess I could see Bastet doing that.)

[docosc]

If God lays it on your heart to burn, you can burn

Ummm,

Try it. you’ll like it!

[anon81034786]

@pesco

“If God told me to burn the book Clifford the Big Red Dog, then I’d burn the book Clifford the Big Red Dog,” says Dusty Hill, lead pastor of Emmanuel Chapel in Lebanon, Missouri

What if God told you to burn your Bible?

[MikeR]

How does he feel about burning the Bible?

[HMSGoose]

For when regular strength Just Following Orders isn’t good enough to justify your atrocities, you gotta reach for the new and improved Just Following the Direct Word of God!

[Mercenary_Garage]

Unless god tells you specifically not to burn Clifford the Big Red Dog, it’s probly best to just burn it anyway. Better safe than sorry an’ all…

FFS!

[ZamboniWogglebug]

My god tells me to burn preachers who burn books.

[BakaNeko]

[angusm]

Something tells me that “God hates dogs” isn’t going to be quite as popular as a slogan.

[Hanglyman]

Yeah, unless God is willing to come down here and justify it to the rest of us in person, we’re not gonna be okay with taking your word for it. You Nazi.

[Shuck]

Given his track record, burning a book is one of the least objectionable things his god has demanded - at least it doesn’t involve killing your own kid, for example…

@Brainspore

I guess I could see Bastet doing that.

Not me - she’s a lover of the arts, even if they involve dogs.

[knoxblox]

Just don’t burn the grammar books, because it appears you could get some good use from them.

[Mongrove]

@pesco

“If God lays it on your heart to burn, you can burn it,” Hill later added.

Do you want Donald “Trashcan Man” Elbert? Because that’s how you get Donald “Trashcan Man” Elbert.

[Surprise_Puma]

The Clifford books I’m familiar with argue that the big dude won’t respond kindly to such implied threats.

[BakaNeko]

@pesco

They don’t plan on torching American history, English books or anything of the sort, Hill says. Harry Potter books, tarot cards, Ouija boards, pornography, or anything else considered “ungodly,” on the other hand?

I wonder where did He get so much flammable material…

[chenille]

Sorry, but all the grammar books mention…pronouns.

[Hanglyman]

In “not all Christians” discussions I often think of this post from Wondering who's behind those "Jesus Gets Us" TV ads?:

@anon85524460

I’m to the point where I’m wondering where God and Jesus are at. If this isn’t how their brand is supposed to be used, why is it working? Why are they rewarding people who do this? What am I fighting for trying to remain a Christian when it’s becoming more and more apparent every day that this religion is completely broken and not worth salvaging? At what point do you say “there’s just nothing left here worth salvaging that different moral codes cover better?”

Because honestly, that’s where I’m at with all this. They’ve done it, in my eyes. They’ve taken and control gatekeeping for christianity. And they can keep it. And wonder why fewer and fewer people believe in their asshole Christ.

Not all Christians are fascists, but I do wonder why the ones who aren’t feel they need to stick with a framework that disproportionately enables and rewards superstitious bigots with financial benefits and political clout. There are atheist fascist assholes too, but they tend to remain crackpots on YouTube (or semi-famous authors, at best) rather than holding positions of political power, having their own alternate museums, bookstores, film industry, conversion camps and theme parks, or spreading their odious views to gigantic crowds at megachurches. And it’s not because they’re better people- fascists are fascists, whatever their faith or lack thereof. It’s because Christianity is still treated as the “default” in many places (certainly the USA) and given privilege and respect that it hasn’t earned, which puts bigots and grifters at a huge advantage.

So yes, I don’t have any problems with people practicing whatever faith they want, but also let’s not pretend that Christianity as an institution isn’t being used as a powerful tool for evil right now, with a far broader and more dangerous reach than other groups.

[LurksNoMore]

“It was a pleasure to burn.” - Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

[Mindysan33]

@Hanglyman

but I do wonder why the ones who aren’t feel they need to stick with a framework that disproportionately enables and rewards superstitious bigots with financial benefits and political clout

Because they don’t accept how the fascists interpret their religious books and interpret them in different ways.

@Hanglyman

they tend to remain crackpots on YouTube

Dawkins is a crackpot on youtube? Charlas Murray is a crackpot on youtube?

@Hanglyman

It’s because Christianity is still treated as the “default” in many places (certainly the USA) and given privilege and respect that it hasn’t earned, which puts bigots and grifters at a huge advantage.

And how do you propose to make everyone who is Christian and not a fascist NOT christian?

@Hanglyman

but also let’s not pretend that Christianity as an institution isn’t being used as a powerful tool for evil right now,

Same for almost any other major institution you can think of.