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School Board Removes Book by Atheist

Morro
edited September 2008 in General
Link.
Here's a snippet:
The Centre for Inquiry and the Canadian Secular Alliance is calling an Ontario school board's decision to remove a children's book from its library shelves, "an overt example of the discrimination against atheists by the religious."

The Halton Catholic District School Board ordered "The Golden Compass" to be removed from library shelves at dozens of schools after receiving a request for review from a member of the community.

The book, written by popular British author Philip Pullman, has won numerous awards including the Maine Student Book Award and the American Library Association's Best Books for Young Adults award.

Justin Trottier, executive director of the Centre for Inquiry Ontario, is urging the books be returned to shelves "so that libraries may continue to be places of learning and imagination."

"Some of our greatest authors, philosophers and scientists have been atheists. If books written by atheists are banned for not conforming to Catholic worldviews, will the school board proceed to ban books deemed pro-Muslim, pro-Buddhist, or even pro-Protestant if they are critical of Catholicism?," Trottier asked in a statement on Thursday.

"Pretty soon the only book in their library may be the Bible."

The board -- which oversees some 43 elementary and secondary schools in Ontario -- has pulled the book from public display and two other Pullman titles from the "Dark Materials" trilogy. The books are available to students upon request.
Now, bear in mind, that the Golden Compass is a children's book with absolutely no relation to religion, good or bad. It's basically a Potter-alike series of fantasy adventures for kids. But, let's continue the logic. Let's remove all the books by atheists. People like:

Ernest Hemmingway
Salman Rushdie
Kurt Vonnegut
Douglas Adams
George Bernard Shaw
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Isaac Asimov
Sir Arthur C. Clarke
Dave Barry
Ambrose Bierce
Nadine Gordimer
Pär Lagerkvist
Rutka Laskier
Stanislaw Lem
Primo Levi
Terry Pratchett
Ayn Rand
Philip Pullman
...and on and on.

Seriously, what's up with Ontario, these days? First they oppose vaccines for cervical cancer, now this? That place is going downhill...

Comments

  • DaNoobie
    edited November 2007
    Isnt one of the characters gay in Harry Potter? Lets pull that too
    I actually heard about this in the complaint stage, surprised that they actually went ahead and pulled the book...
  • randomuser
    edited November 2007
    In reading the literature to the vaccine for cervical cancer, what was it, Gardisil? There were a few complications resulting in death from it, how does a vaccine for cervical cancer have anything to do with conservative views :P?
  • Morro
    edited November 2007
    Huh? I'm saying there have been a lot of weird stories coming out of Ontario lately, mostly to do with crazy asses.
  • primexx
    edited September 2008
    his dark materials is kind of making fun of the catholic church...in case you haven't noticed. (and it's a great read!!)
  • Agentbob
    edited September 2008
    "Halton Catholic District School Board"

    Eh, is this publicly funded? If not, then who cares what they do.
  • mrbubbles
    edited September 2008
    Here's my take on religion.

    intelligentdesign.jpg
  • Broken Lizard
    edited September 2008
    good, god damn atheists
    Jesus christ, I can't get over how atheists always try to pull down religion! It's so grand!

    God created everything, why hate on him?!



    I wish I was religious, it's so easy just to say "god did it" than to wonder how the hell the universe was created.

    ok i don't wish i was religious, but I do wish i could just believe things that make no sense and be content with it, lol

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