Is it illegal to burn a Bible in public protest?

[LakeArenal]

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. Depends on local burning ordinances.

[marybourg]

2. Why do you ask?

[jpak]

9. +1

n/t

[lindysalsagal]

3. Of course not. In america. Don't try that in Utah, however. Fundies have no sense of humor.

[onenote]

4. As long as it's your property and its not somewhere fire for any purpose is barred

No.

[gratuitous]

8. This

Recognize also that whatever message a person might be trying to send by burning a Bible will be subsumed by "outrage" from certain quarters who like to think they're god's favorites and that by getting grrrr mad! about someone burning a Bible, they're going to get more spacious quarters in heaven. Or something.

[hlthe2b]

13. Funny, the word I was going to say about doing so would be 'gratuitous'... It accomplishes nothing

yet stands a high chance of rallying even the "non-believers" against you because it just reeks of intolerance.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. No. You'll certainly piss off some people

and possibly violate an open burning ordinance but otherwise it’s protected symbolic speech.

[bitterross]

6. Not Yet.

Give them time though.

[no_hypocrisy]

29. + 1 million

[True Dough]

7. "Accidentally" toss it into the Burning Bush

Oops!

[marble falls]

10. Yes. First amendment right.

[Thomas Hurt]

11. NO, If you are an idolater of inanimate objects then they probably want it to be...

though I think the Bible deserves the same respect as any book. If don't agree with burning Tom Sawyer or Harry Potter or whatever, you shouldn't agree to burning the Bible.

[jberryhill]

12. It is illegal to burn anything in a place where burning things is not permitted

You'll have to be more specific about when and where you plan to burn something.

Are we talking about doing it on your own property?

Are you going to do it on someone else's property? Do you have permission to (a) be on their property and (b) burn things on it?

Are there any relevant local fire or air quality rules you will have to bear in mind?

Your question is entirely inadequate to give you an answer.

[MineralMan]

14. No, but books are surprisingly hard to burn.

So, you'll probably waste a bunch of your time. Just toss it into your wheelie bin and let the garbage man take it away on trash day. Much easier.

[jcgoldie]

16. Could use a few pages a day to start the woodstove through the winter

That's what I do with the old phone books.

And today's comfy fire brought to you by the book of Genesis...

[MineralMan]

17. I once bought 3000 books at an out of business second hand store.

It was at an auction, and the entire lot only cost me $30. I bought them because the shelving they were on came with them. It was full 1" thick clear redwood boards, a full 12" wide and 16' long. I used them to panel part of my living room. I picked through the books, and maybe kept 50 of them.

Then, I had a garage sale with all of the books out in boxes. I sold maybe 300 at that sale. So, I was stuck with like a ton of old used books nobody wanted. So, I tried to burn them in my fireplace that winter. No go at all. They simply would not burn. Too dense. So, I started loading them into my trash trailer to haul them to the dump, when a lady stopped her car and asked what I was doing. I explained.

Turned out she was a Mormon and they had a "send books to Africa" thing going on. So, I donated them to her, and even finished loading them, still in boxes, into the trailer and unloading them at her garage.

Now, what anyone in Africa would do with a ton of old books, mostly old novels nobody ever heard of by authors with three names, I don't know. Never mind, though. I didn't have them any longer.

Books make lousy firewood. That much I learned.

[exboyfil]

20. Textbooks have so little value that even Goodwill doesn't take them

I think that is where my MBA books ended up.

I had a bad habit of buying old textbooks on subjects which I was interested in or in preparation for my daughters' future academics. Hard to pass on a $1. Most of them I have not done much with.

[customerserviceguy]

23. I find

that Revelations makes the best fires, must be all the brimstone...

[guillaumeb]

15. No. But what purpose would the burning serve?

As an endorsement of book burning in general?

[PJMcK]

18. Well, LakeArenal stated the bible burning is "in protest"

I have no clue what they're protesting although I have my own suspicions.

[MineralMan]

19. Why does that matter?

Perhaps it's just a symbolic thing. Does burning a Bible offend you? Perhaps that is the point, you see. Since burning a Bible does nothing to remove the Bible's centuries of influence, it doesn't really matter, except symbolically.

I wouldn't do it. Books are really hard to burn. Besides, I like having a few different translations of the Bible around for reference. These days, of course, I can compare translations online much more easily, so I don't open those Bibles very often.

[guillaumeb]

22. Burning a flag, or a holy book does not offend me.

And symbolic speech has a place.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

21. I kinda did that back in 67! Prior to heading out to a war protest I was going to roll a few but

found I was out of papers. Searching for something suitable I discovered a little old bible I’d had since childhood. I liberated enough pages to make six joints that I shared with other attendees.

Holy Smoke!

[DFW]

24. Legal as far as far as written law goes

Still carries the death penalty in some states if some so-called « Christians » catch you at it.

[Hortensis]

25. No, but it's incredibly stupid -- unless of course the "burners"

are really subversives who've infiltrated some group to bring it down. Then it's smart, a standard tactic for agents of the Republican Party and Russia.

[vsrazdem]

26. Well, it wasn't illegal when the evangelicals burned the Koran, but it wasn't bright of them to do.

[Midnightwalk]

27. Not if you have a proper intent.

I’m just not sure what is considered valid. Probably depends on your denomination.

But burning a witch or heretic might pass muster. I’d suggest asking your spiritual leader and attorney before doing anything rash.

Then again if someone takes that as being heretical it could start a vicious cycle. Be careful out there.

Is it really necessary to add:

[Shrike47]

28. The fact it's a Bible doesn't make it illegal if the burn is otherwise legal.

The only purpose would be to offend so why do it?

[irisblue]

30. And...is this a disruptive question? Why?

[LakeArenal]

31. No. Not disruptive.

In consideration of protest over such things as abortion, birth control, forced to allow parental rights to rapists, closing of Planned Parenthood and abortion clinics, bills to make America a “Christian” nation. keeping kids in cages even. Lots of reasons to me.

[Polybius]

34. The problem is, you might offend some moderate Democrats

But it's your right to burn it, assuming it doesn't cause a fire.

[LakeArenal]

36. That's why I asked DU.

Not my intent to insult. Just protest.

Responses have been enlightening. Again that’s why I asked.

[bluecollar2]

32. Not yet....n/t

[cwydro]

33. I hate to think about burning any book.

What would you be protesting?

[ProudLib72]

35. May I suggest burning "Art of the Deal" instead?

[LakeArenal]

38. Not a good substitute for a protest.

Trumpettes are perpetually offended.
The rest of the world wouldn’t care

[Raine]

37. Burning books of any kind

just seems so wrong, I know I would never burn a book.