Group burns 'harmful' books
Jon Fisher
Issue date: 4/10/08 Section: News
A student-run Facebook group advocating burning books the group calls "unhealthy to community" continues to stir controversy since its creation in September. Already, the group has burned two Masonic Bibles.
Entitled "'Tis a Shame So Many Books Go Unburned," the group takes a "decidedly Catholic church position faithful to the longstanding tradition of maintaining the peace and stability of a particular society," said freshman Charles Le Jeune, the group's founder.
As of Monday, the group had 48 members and listed 67 authors as impious or harmful to society, including Voltaire, the Talmud and the United States Constitution.
Le Jeune said the group is part of a larger counterrevolution that is growingly discontent with the impressionable social conditioning in their countries. Rather, the Roman Catholic Church should provide a path to facilitate a pious life, he said.
"I don't see it as A versus B," Le Jeune said. "I see it as Pope Leo XII did, as truth versus error."
Many people wrongly judge the group an elaborate joke because of the group's often sarcastic tone, sophomore Anthony Mocny, a group officer, said.
Humor runs throughout the group's page. Group officers hold titles taken from Monty Python, and Le Jeune chooses inflammatory words in an air of good humor, Mocny said.
Even so, Le Jeune and supporters have insisted several times on site the serious intention of the group.
Yet the group's seriousness can be the bigger joke for some.
"I'm not outraged," said freshman Kamil Stasiulewicz, a Roman Catholic. "I just find it so funny that I don't care at all."
Since its inception, the group has sustained heated criticism, often through profanity or blasphemy which has to be deleted, Le Jeune said.
"I've deleted a lot of posts," he said. "Especially because women might be a part of the support. You can't curse in front of a woman."
Junior Gennady Stolyarov created four 10-minute YouTube videos debating the ideas of the site.
Entitled "'Tis a Shame So Many Books Go Unburned," the group takes a "decidedly Catholic church position faithful to the longstanding tradition of maintaining the peace and stability of a particular society," said freshman Charles Le Jeune, the group's founder.
As of Monday, the group had 48 members and listed 67 authors as impious or harmful to society, including Voltaire, the Talmud and the United States Constitution.
Le Jeune said the group is part of a larger counterrevolution that is growingly discontent with the impressionable social conditioning in their countries. Rather, the Roman Catholic Church should provide a path to facilitate a pious life, he said.
"I don't see it as A versus B," Le Jeune said. "I see it as Pope Leo XII did, as truth versus error."
Many people wrongly judge the group an elaborate joke because of the group's often sarcastic tone, sophomore Anthony Mocny, a group officer, said.
Humor runs throughout the group's page. Group officers hold titles taken from Monty Python, and Le Jeune chooses inflammatory words in an air of good humor, Mocny said.
Even so, Le Jeune and supporters have insisted several times on site the serious intention of the group.
Yet the group's seriousness can be the bigger joke for some.
"I'm not outraged," said freshman Kamil Stasiulewicz, a Roman Catholic. "I just find it so funny that I don't care at all."
Since its inception, the group has sustained heated criticism, often through profanity or blasphemy which has to be deleted, Le Jeune said.
"I've deleted a lot of posts," he said. "Especially because women might be a part of the support. You can't curse in front of a woman."
Junior Gennady Stolyarov created four 10-minute YouTube videos debating the ideas of the site.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 24
Hugh
posted 4/10/08 @ 3:35 PM EST
Do these guys have scholarships? I wonder how many donors would continue to sponsor "students" who not only condemn the U.S. Constitution, but whose behaviors are so anti-academic and juvenile. (Continued…)
Kal Palnicki
posted 4/11/08 @ 8:06 AM EST
Perhaps Hagee si right about the catholic church being the whor of babylon. Of course, he should know since he avails himself of the whore's services. (Continued…)
Marty
posted 4/11/08 @ 11:32 AM EST
Had the reporter been interested in portraying Catholics objectively, a rebuttal from a non-extremist Catholic student would have been quoted. As it is, only two positions are represented: support for burnings, and apathy toward them. (Continued…)
Margaret
posted 4/11/08 @ 6:31 PM EST
I've been a long time supporter of Hillsdale College, and I'm horrified. This is a neo-con game, NOT a Catholic game. Burn the Constitution??? That's the ONLY safeguard of your rights to do stupid things like this. (Continued…)
Robert Nasir
posted 4/11/08 @ 7:16 PM EST
Staggering. It's 2008, not 1588. Fortunately, these folks are few enough that they may be considered, not ideologues, but fruitcakes.
Still, a book-burning religious fanatic is still a book-burner. (Continued…)
Diane
posted 4/11/08 @ 7:28 PM EST
Burning the U.S. Constitution? Hitler would be so proud of these children.
Dave
posted 4/11/08 @ 7:57 PM EST
Leave it to Catholics.
The U.S. Constitution is about HUMAN rights. But.. Catholics have always considered themselves... well.. something more.
Religion rears its ugly head as usual. (Continued…)
Jonathan Wilhelm
posted 4/11/08 @ 10:03 PM EST
I cannot believe this, I wish these people would just get out of America if they hate freedom so much. They will not be happy until no one is free. The Constitution protects our freedoms. (Continued…)
Vash
posted 4/11/08 @ 10:17 PM EST
Catholic or not, shouldn't it be a right to burn anything that is in their possession? They've only burned two books, both masonic bibles, which sounds completely OK to me. (Continued…)
Maxwell
posted 4/12/08 @ 8:18 PM EST
Alright... suffer me briefly to disabuse some commentators of their misapprehensions.
Hugh: academic stature has nothing to do with either one's subscription to the principles of the American Revolution or the Continental Enlightnenment whence the aforesaid Revolution had its provenance. (Continued…)
Post a Comment