Just another view on the NLB book-banning saga
Regarding the recent NLB saga, I initially told myself I wouldn't comment on it. It wasn't that I had no views on it - I had mighty strong views. But I found the whole incident distasteful and there was already so much mudslinging, I didn't want to add to the controversy. So I stayed silent and I even tried to stop reading articles.
But my FB newsfeed kept flooding with all kinds of headlines that screamed at me. Then yesterday, a reader Grace posted in the comments column asking me what I felt as a mother, writer and Christian. I told her I didn't want to write about it but later, it nagged at me that she was right. This saga hits me on all three fronts. By not addressing it, I was behaving like an ostrich. So I mustered up my courage to write a post and here are my views on the matter:
More than whether I feel that banning the books was right or wrong, I felt that it was UNNECESSARY. It turned a small matter into a colossal one. It widened the rift that had already begun to grow in recent years and became a battle of us against them.
As a result of the book banning, some Christians may congratulate themselves on having "won" this battle but the fact is we have won nothing. We have turned our backs on people, told them they have no place in our public libraries and in doing so, turned away more people from Christ than ever.
As a Christian, I believe that homosexuality is wrong because it says so in the Bible, which I accept as truth.
However, the Bible never said to bring out your pitchforks. That's where I think many Christians trip up. I get the impression that Christians sometimes feel like they're obliged to take certain sides. If homosexuality stands on one side, they HAVE to take the other side because that has to be the right one. It's almost as if how hard I wave the anti-Pink flag is an indication of how strong my faith is.
I beg to differ. Taking actions in the name of Christ is dangerous when it's done without thought or love. Just because you call on God's name doesn't mean what you're doing is holy. For example, the witch trials in Salem in 1692 - where they persecuted and put "witches" to death, was done in the name of the church. I'm sure all the people who were for it thought they were fighting the good fight against Satan. It's mob mentality and religious frenzy at its worst, preying on the irrational fears of people.
Standing up for what we believe in should not entitle trampling on what others believe. Otherwise you might as well disband the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony (of which the Archbishop is a member). And going with the majority is a flawed argument. If you lived in a Muslim country, would you readily accept that you had to live by Islamic beliefs because they formed the majority? Or would you want the freedom to live out your own beliefs?
If only Christians would pour as much energy into eradicating some of the other sins listed in the Bible: greed, lust, envy, sloth, anger and pride, for example. Incidentally, the greatest sin is Pride. Not homosexuality. Pride.
Sometimes, I wonder why some Christians make such a big deal about homosexuality vs all other sins. I suspect it's because for all other sins, it's hard to claim we're blameless. We have all lied at some point, been envious (that rich guy throwing money around!) or been lazy (played Candy Crush when we were supposed to be working!) But in the area of homosexuality, straight Christians know they have not and will never sin there. So it's easy to focus on that. If that's true, then we need to take a long, hard look at ourselves and realise that our feverishness against homosexuality has nothing to do with righteousness and everything to do with self-righteousness. Another possible reason is the fear of a community we don't understand. And so instead of trying to understand and empathise, we choose to shun and despise.
Now, let's come back to the book banning and look at the books in question: parents said they didn't want their four-year-olds to accidentally come across the books and somehow be corrupted by the gay agenda. First, there are like a gazillion books in the library and the chance of your kid picking it up is already slim. Second, if you are a concerned parent, you're likely to pick the books for your four-year-old. But ok, for the sake of argument, let's say your child really does pick out this one book unsupervised and reads about two male penguins looking after a baby penguin. What are the chances he'll make the connection: "Oh! It's telling me a family can have two daddies and no mummy!" And then, finally make the further ludicrous connection: "I therefore want to be gay!" Seriously. Adults are the ones who project their own beliefs and prejudices onto things. Not children. Four-year-olds are more likely to think: "That baby penguin is very cute. I wonder if I can get mummy to buy me a toy penguin."
By banning these books, we're enabling a breed of parents I often come across - protective to the point of paranoia, where they feel they need to bubble wrap their children to shield them from every danger in life, real or imaginary.
And why only ban these books? Do you know there are children and young adult books that feature premarital sex? And divorce? These are all sins in the Bible too. (I sure hope I'm not giving NLB any ideas). And why stop there? What about books that depict greedy, envious, lazy, proud children? As a writer, I'm concerned that an institution should decide for me what sort of books I can let my children read. Already sometimes I feel that in writing, I have to be over-the-top mindful of being politically correct, lest people read some hidden meaning in my books, even if totally unintended. And as a writer, I'm completely opposed to the pulping of books because it disturbs me that a national library should think it's ok to destroy books. That's just a slap in the face.
To me, this unnecessary action of banning the books has snowballed into unhealthy territory. It legitimised zealots who now think that with the "majority" and authorities on their side, it's ok to publicly display their hate and disdain for LGBTs. There's already an anti-Pink Dot group formed. I foresee the LGBTs will retaliate with something else, and so on. Kinda like Palestine vs Israel - after a while, nobody cares who's right and what they're fighting for any more. Each side just wants to win.
It upsets me to see so many Christians behaving in such an un-Christian manner. The problem is that none of these actions were done in the "love thy neighbour" spirit. As long as something is done in the spirit of hate and strife, it's not backed by the Bible.
If you remember, Jesus regularly mingled with the people on the fringe of society - prostitutes, tax-collectors, leprosy sufferers. He never lobbied for these people to be tucked away out of sight. He never lobbied for their rights to be taken away from them. He lived among them and made them feel loved.
It was precisely why the Pharisees were rebuked by Jesus although they were the religious leaders of their time. They were superior and judgmental. Behind their actions was not love for their fellow beings but self-satisfaction.
But my FB newsfeed kept flooding with all kinds of headlines that screamed at me. Then yesterday, a reader Grace posted in the comments column asking me what I felt as a mother, writer and Christian. I told her I didn't want to write about it but later, it nagged at me that she was right. This saga hits me on all three fronts. By not addressing it, I was behaving like an ostrich. So I mustered up my courage to write a post and here are my views on the matter:
More than whether I feel that banning the books was right or wrong, I felt that it was UNNECESSARY. It turned a small matter into a colossal one. It widened the rift that had already begun to grow in recent years and became a battle of us against them.
As a result of the book banning, some Christians may congratulate themselves on having "won" this battle but the fact is we have won nothing. We have turned our backs on people, told them they have no place in our public libraries and in doing so, turned away more people from Christ than ever.
As a Christian, I believe that homosexuality is wrong because it says so in the Bible, which I accept as truth.
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality." - 1 Cor 6:9
However, the Bible never said to bring out your pitchforks. That's where I think many Christians trip up. I get the impression that Christians sometimes feel like they're obliged to take certain sides. If homosexuality stands on one side, they HAVE to take the other side because that has to be the right one. It's almost as if how hard I wave the anti-Pink flag is an indication of how strong my faith is.
I beg to differ. Taking actions in the name of Christ is dangerous when it's done without thought or love. Just because you call on God's name doesn't mean what you're doing is holy. For example, the witch trials in Salem in 1692 - where they persecuted and put "witches" to death, was done in the name of the church. I'm sure all the people who were for it thought they were fighting the good fight against Satan. It's mob mentality and religious frenzy at its worst, preying on the irrational fears of people.
Standing up for what we believe in should not entitle trampling on what others believe. Otherwise you might as well disband the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony (of which the Archbishop is a member). And going with the majority is a flawed argument. If you lived in a Muslim country, would you readily accept that you had to live by Islamic beliefs because they formed the majority? Or would you want the freedom to live out your own beliefs?
If only Christians would pour as much energy into eradicating some of the other sins listed in the Bible: greed, lust, envy, sloth, anger and pride, for example. Incidentally, the greatest sin is Pride. Not homosexuality. Pride.
"He is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions." - 1 Timothy 6:4
Sometimes, I wonder why some Christians make such a big deal about homosexuality vs all other sins. I suspect it's because for all other sins, it's hard to claim we're blameless. We have all lied at some point, been envious (that rich guy throwing money around!) or been lazy (played Candy Crush when we were supposed to be working!) But in the area of homosexuality, straight Christians know they have not and will never sin there. So it's easy to focus on that. If that's true, then we need to take a long, hard look at ourselves and realise that our feverishness against homosexuality has nothing to do with righteousness and everything to do with self-righteousness. Another possible reason is the fear of a community we don't understand. And so instead of trying to understand and empathise, we choose to shun and despise.
Now, let's come back to the book banning and look at the books in question: parents said they didn't want their four-year-olds to accidentally come across the books and somehow be corrupted by the gay agenda. First, there are like a gazillion books in the library and the chance of your kid picking it up is already slim. Second, if you are a concerned parent, you're likely to pick the books for your four-year-old. But ok, for the sake of argument, let's say your child really does pick out this one book unsupervised and reads about two male penguins looking after a baby penguin. What are the chances he'll make the connection: "Oh! It's telling me a family can have two daddies and no mummy!" And then, finally make the further ludicrous connection: "I therefore want to be gay!" Seriously. Adults are the ones who project their own beliefs and prejudices onto things. Not children. Four-year-olds are more likely to think: "That baby penguin is very cute. I wonder if I can get mummy to buy me a toy penguin."
By banning these books, we're enabling a breed of parents I often come across - protective to the point of paranoia, where they feel they need to bubble wrap their children to shield them from every danger in life, real or imaginary.
And why only ban these books? Do you know there are children and young adult books that feature premarital sex? And divorce? These are all sins in the Bible too. (I sure hope I'm not giving NLB any ideas). And why stop there? What about books that depict greedy, envious, lazy, proud children? As a writer, I'm concerned that an institution should decide for me what sort of books I can let my children read. Already sometimes I feel that in writing, I have to be over-the-top mindful of being politically correct, lest people read some hidden meaning in my books, even if totally unintended. And as a writer, I'm completely opposed to the pulping of books because it disturbs me that a national library should think it's ok to destroy books. That's just a slap in the face.
To me, this unnecessary action of banning the books has snowballed into unhealthy territory. It legitimised zealots who now think that with the "majority" and authorities on their side, it's ok to publicly display their hate and disdain for LGBTs. There's already an anti-Pink Dot group formed. I foresee the LGBTs will retaliate with something else, and so on. Kinda like Palestine vs Israel - after a while, nobody cares who's right and what they're fighting for any more. Each side just wants to win.
It upsets me to see so many Christians behaving in such an un-Christian manner. The problem is that none of these actions were done in the "love thy neighbour" spirit. As long as something is done in the spirit of hate and strife, it's not backed by the Bible.
If you remember, Jesus regularly mingled with the people on the fringe of society - prostitutes, tax-collectors, leprosy sufferers. He never lobbied for these people to be tucked away out of sight. He never lobbied for their rights to be taken away from them. He lived among them and made them feel loved.
It was precisely why the Pharisees were rebuked by Jesus although they were the religious leaders of their time. They were superior and judgmental. Behind their actions was not love for their fellow beings but self-satisfaction.
"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." - Romans 12:16Pope Francis, ever since he became Pope, has steadily conquered hearts and minds across the world. He says unequivocally that homosexuality is a sin. But he also said: “If someone who is gay and is sincerely seeking God who am I to judge? They shouldn't be marginalized.” Here is a man who gets it.
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." - Matthew 7:1-5These are MY views - I can't stress that enough. You don't have to agree with them. But if it helps seed the idea that perhaps peace is the way forward, not war, then that's enough for me, as a mother, writer and Christian.
"Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." - Mark 12: 31
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