Censorship's can be rather touchy. Many of the regular readers here have seen oodles upon oodles of cut plays. All of which, if compared to the original, are lacking in some way.
I've heard arguments for both sides, but the best written argument to date comes in the form of a novel, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
Fahrenheit 451 is a must read for anyone who lives in America or similar western culture. Others may want to read it just to understand western society.
The main thrust of the book is censorship. The hero is a Fireman--a term redefined in the novel. The agenda is keeping people happy. I won't go further with details because you're going to read the book (if you haven't already).
My thoughts on censorship are much changed. It's not so much a matter of filtering content for our audience, but deep-teaching and constantly open forums for any and all topics of discussions.
Christians don't need to edit other peoples thoughts, they need to write down their own. Every author believes something. To make Twain, Bradbury, or Shakespeare more "palatable" is more dangerous for us than to leave them about untouched.
Posted by TheIdeaMan at July 21, 2004 10:23 PM | TrackBackAmen and amen. Very nicely put, Benjamin.
Posted by: heidi at July 21, 2004 11:14 PMAwesome. One problem though...
See, what you're suggesting would involve taking chances. We'll have none of that here :)
Soon forget that complacency is the biggest chance that we take.
Posted by: Kammer at July 22, 2004 10:05 AMglad you got it read, ben. i agree that it's a must read and have thought so since reading it in high school.
i'd put william golding's Lord of the Flies in that same category of must-read, only under a more general heading of human nature and not western society specifically. you can make it your next read.
since i'm enjoying Calvin Miller at your suggestion and noted the forcefulness of your command about reading F451, i fully expect a blog about the merits of LOtF within 2 months. :-)
you can borrow mine if you don't want to mess with those library places. :-)plus you'll have ransom material if i ever get tempted to hold on to Miller.
Posted by: david at July 22, 2004 10:14 PMCan "any and all topics of discussions" be discussed by Christians?
Posted by: micah at July 25, 2004 02:27 AMDavid,
I may take you up on the offer. Right now, in the fiction category, I'm reading "Inherit the Wind" by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. It's a somewhat fictional representation of the Scopes "Monkey Trial." So far it has been well written, and very pointed. Christians are shown under some pretty harsh light.
So, that's what's on my "all things to all men" plate right now. In other section of my "currently reading list" are the half finished "Not Even a Hint" and "Don't Waste Your Life." Both of which I hope to have done in a couple months, Lord willing.
I'll schedule "Lord of the Flies" for after "Inherit the Wind." Thanks for the encouragement, David.
Posted by: Benjamin at July 25, 2004 02:45 PMMicah,
Your questions got me thinking (hence the slow reply). My first reaction is that everything should be able to be discussed by Christians. There are some guiding principles for how to handle certain things, but none of them limit us from proclaiming the Truth about every topic.
Some guiding principles from Ephesians 5:1-4:
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving."
It would be good for us to search out the meanings of the greek words for "named" and "proper." The context here is "among you," but our goal is still the same to "be imitators of God as beloved children." With that guiding our speech we can (while walking in the Spirit) safely venture into any conversation to speak the Truth. We may not decide to stay there for the extent of the conversation (not casting perls before swine), but we can take the opportunity to glorify our Father.
Please help me with the thoughts, everyone. These are just my initial musings on the Church's "Freedom of Speech." There's more to this, I'm sure.
Thank you for asking, Micah. I'm still thinking. Please share your thoughts as well (maybe with a trackback). :)
Posted by: Benjamin at July 26, 2004 01:22 PMI'll echo the recommendation for Lord of the Flies too. A must read it is. Golding seemed to have a biblical understanding of human depravity, though the book lacked any accompanying doctrine of redemption. I don't think Golding ever became a Christian, but he did have a biblical anthropology.
If it's worth anything, I rate it as (probably) my favorite novel.