You don't burn them. You never, ever burn them.
An unwanted holy book, be it Jewish, Christian, Muslim, or any other scripture, can be disposed of humanely and appropriately, but not burned.
A holy book is afforded the same respect as a human being in every religious tradition in the world -- except, apparently, the one practiced by one pastor in Florida.
You bury them.
I've actually buried quite a few Bibles in the last decade. At my old church in Vermont, I was in charge of the annual book sale. Donations would pour in over a six-week period, and I would weed through them all, sorting, pricing and packing them into cartons, where they waited until the day of the fair on the village green.
Each year we'd receive about a dozen Bibles, nearly all of which were the King James Version. They'd always appear well-worn, with tattered edges on the old leather covers. Often, the leather was so old and dry that it chipped like paint on the side of a weathered shed. Looking at these donated Bibles, I'd imagine that they'd been cleaned out of attics or assisted-care facilities. I imagined that they came from the homes of grandmothers and grandfathers like mine who read the King James Bible every day, marking it and urging me to read it when I was young.
I once asked an antique dealer in town where he obtained all of the Bibles in his shop. He said matter-of-factly, "There's one in every house." Bibles were once among the most treasured objects in a family home, but the old ones often no longer seem important to later generations. At our book fair, I would hear things like, "Mother kept this by her bedside for as long as I can remember. But we don't need it."
Most of the King James Bibles I come across are battered and ragged, well-used and dusty. At our book fair, no one wanted to buy them. I usually couldn't even give them away. So I ended up burying a lot of them.
At the end of the fair in late July, I would carry the leftovers home and get the tall shovel out of the shed. Using the heel of my right shoe, I'd thrust its blade deep into the soil and make a hole large enough for a dead pet. In they went.
Each of the three monotheistic faiths practice some form of this. There are a series of underground tunnels in the Chiltan Hills near Quetta, Pakistan where nearly 100,000 discarded and partial Qurans are carefully packed in bags, buried (which they actually call "storing" in a hopeful sort of way) and then watched over by devout Muslims who feel called to the sacred task. The first of these many tunnels was dug in 1992 and measures 130 feet in length, and is about seven feet in circumference.
Jews do it, too. Jews bury old and tattered Torah scrolls when they are no longer useable or repairable. I remember a story in the years after Hurricane Katrina that told of the burial of seven scrolls in New Orleans that were destroyed by the storm. They were laid to rest in a graveside ceremony by the rabbi and members of Beth Israel Congregation of New Orleans. The scrolls lie in the cemetery next to the long-serving, much-loved gabbai (a rabbi's assistant who also often assists when the Torah is read in services) of that synagogue, who'd died just before the storm -- an honor to both man and scrolls.
On a much less impressive scale, someday someone will buy my old house, dig up the rear part of the garden (look to the area closest to the shed, near the remnants of last year's tomato plants) and likely scratch their heads at what they find about 22 inches down.
Jon M. Sweeney is a writer and book publisher living in Vermont. His book, Verily, Verily: The King James Bible--400 Years of Influence and Beauty was published in March by Zondervan.
Proper Disposal of Holy Objects - The Details
What's the Proper Way to Dispose of a Koran? | The Weekly Standard
Rodger Kamenetz: Why Holy Books Can't Really Be Burnt
Would a Muslim burn the Bible? – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs
Before anyone pounces-- most bibles are given to me in sneaky ways. In college I was told that the bag I was receiving was full of "first aid"--it was full of a bible, religious tracts and jesus fish.
apparently it was first aid FOR THE SOUL (they neglected to say that).
Bibles have been left instead of tips when I was a server (I don't think my landlord accepted those)
People constantly pushing bibles at me is disrespectful to ME and my beliefs. It not enough that I am a young woman and the church is constantly pushing efforts to keep me in line even if I am not apart of their "flock" (birth control and the like)
My other personal issue with bibles is that my parents won a large amount of money when I was little and gave some to the church that was attached to the school I went to and the church spent it on BIBLES when they had tons of them (I went to the attached school, every classroom had 30+ barely used hardcover bibles stacked on shelves)--not soup kitchens, no charity, not even school uniforms--bibles.
I have never burned a bible (I've read Farentheit 451 too many times) but I have no issue throwing them in the trash.
Don't force your religon on me. This isn't an old family bible--this is someone being disrepectful.
As many of the Western Indian spiritual teaching were passed from on person and shaman to another so it would be if all the Bibles were burnt.
What I do know is the Christ would be the last one to say GO KILL the s o b if he burnt my book. That is not what the New Testament says to do.l
It is probably presumptious of me at least the the eyes of many small minded people, but I bet Mohammad, Buddha and Krishna would repeat what Christ taught too
You never go back to believing them. You never, ever go back to believing them.
First you stick them in the part of your brain (usually the largest part) where you stick all those notions, ideas, concepts and anything else that is difficult to face and much more comfortable to deny, ignore or forget about.
I've actually denied, forgotten about and finally discarded many aspects of theism over my life time. At my old church where I grew up creeds, doctrines and canonical law would pour into my brain where I would weed through them all, sorting and packing them into compartments where they waited for the day to come when my head would finally explode.
Each year we'd receive about a dozen variations on ancient superstitions, nearly all of which were Judaeo-Christian based. They'd always appear well-worn with tattered edges.
I once asked an antique theologian where he obtained all his notions. He said matter-of-factly, "There's at least one in every church and religious institution." Theology was once one of the most treasured of ideas but often no longer seems important to later generations.
In my waning years I have sought out and emptied the last dusty, cob-webbed compartment of my brain with no regret or nostalgia.
Thinking that was an old concept, reaction that is where the Adrenilin lies today. Why there is so much killing for electricity and Oil.
Simply this.
As thoughtful, compassionate human beings we attempt to respect the feelings and cultures of others.
There are many things that we "can" do that we do not do because it is rude and disrespectful of others. When we do it, we diminish ourselves.
Personally, I do not regard the Bible as different from other books, but I would not desecrate it in public any more than I would walk down the street and call people racial epithets. And if I did, I probably would get punched by someone.
This is not a matter of law, nor is it a matter of giving religion special treatment. It's about how we treat others and what matters to them.
If you feel a need to burn a Koran or a Bible or a Torah, please do it in private. Then it's between you and God (if she exists). But don't do it in front of others who care because you are disrespecting another human with different views from you.
What is wrong with peace, love and understanding?
Charlie
Charlie