Ian McKellen's bible vandalism catches on

[Third Eye Open]

Link:

The openly gay Lord of the Rings star tears out a section of Leviticus, which condemns homosexuality, whenever he finds the good book in hotel suites - and his small-scale vandalism has inspired others to do the same.

Acceptable? Intolerant? Childish? Heroic?

I find it irritating that there are bibles laying around in hotels anyway, though I have never vandalized one. It actually never occurred to me to do it, but now I will probably toss it in the trash at least, they can always take it out if they want.

 

[Yoink]

Link:



Acceptable? Intolerant? Childish? Heroic?

I find it irritating that there are bibles laying around in hotels anyway, though I have never vandalized one. It actually never occurred to me to do it, but now I will probably toss it in the trash at least, they can always take it out if they want.

I admire McKellan as an actor, but this strikes me as free publicity for the other side. If there were some society of rationalists who went around putting free copies of "Free Thought" literature in hotel rooms, what would we make of people who bragged about systematically defacing or vandalising those books?

 

[Third Eye Open]

I admire McKellan as an actor, but this strikes me as free publicity for the other side. If there were some society of rationalists who went around putting free copies of "Free Thought" literature in hotel rooms, what would we make of people who bragged about systematically defacing or vandalising those books?

Well, those books don't single out a certain group of people as less than human.

 

[AvalonXQ]

Well, those books don't single out a certain group of people as less than human.

Neither does the Bible. Now, back on topic...

Defacing someone else's property is unacceptable.
I also find book burnings to be repugnant, even when you own the books you're burning.
Needless to say, defacing someone else's books is unacceptable, uncivilized, and repugnant.

 

[Yoink]

Well, those books don't single out a certain group of people as less than human.

Book burners (or tearers) always have their reasons. In this case I am entirely on McKellans side in terms of the cause he embraces and the end point he wants to arrive at; I think he's chosen, however, a tactic which in this case will only hurt his cause and can do it no possible or imaginable good.

 

[Yoink]

Neither does the Bible.

It's obviously been a long time since you read it.

 

[Simon39759]

I don't like the idea of vandalizing the books.

I would be much happier if he got his own pamphlets printed and put them alongside the books.

 

[AvalonXQ]

I don't like the idea of vandalizing the books.

I would be much happier if he got his own pamphlets printed and put them alongside the books.

That's a much better idea. Although I wonder which, if any, hotel chains would let him.

 

[Marduk]

I don't understand his motivation, tearing out Leviticus because it describes homosexuality as an abomination. Surely he should be tearing apart copies of Aladdin for forcing him to be widow twanky, which is more damaging to his attempt to be taken seriously as a gay actor

hehe

 

[Belz...]

He should be required to buy the bibbles after damaging them.

 

[Belz...]

I don't understand his motivation, tearing out Leviticus because it describes homosexuality as an abomination. Surely he should be tearing apart copies of Aladdin for forcing him to be widow twanky, which is more damaging to his attempt to be taken seriously as a gay actor
[qimg]http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/arts/2004/12/20/twankey23423sdfdf5353.jpg[/qimg]
hehe

Ouch.

 

[CurtC]

I'd be more inclined to highlight the offensive passages so that subsequent guests can see what their holy but mostly unfamiliar book actually says.

 

[Simon39759]

That's a much better idea. Although I wonder which, if any, hotel chains would let him.

And, of course, the good Christians that are now crying over the vandalism would get in line to burn the 'evil gay propaganda'.

 

[AvalonXQ]

And, of course, the good Christians that are not crying over the vandalism would get in line to burn the 'evil gay propaganda'.

Uh, no. Note what I said earlier: I'm not interested defacing others' property or burning books. It doesn't matter if I agree with what they say or not.

 

[Marduk]

I'm still mystified as to his motivation, its like hes saying "hmmm all that crapola up til Leviticus is cool, and all thats stuff after leviticus is cool"
like the man doesnt have a brain in his head does he, I dont see him tearing out the stuff about the degradation of women

still if its because hes worried about being seen as a homosexual actor I can see his problem, after all John Geilgud, Alec Guinness and Laurence Olivier were the very epitome of machismo werent they

 

[Cainkane1]

I admire McKellan as an actor, but this strikes me as free publicity for the other side. If there were some society of rationalists who went around putting free copies of "Free Thought" literature in hotel rooms, what would we make of people who bragged about systematically defacing or vandalising those books?

I agree. The fundys will latch onto this and make a bad situation worse. Those books aren't his property and he has no right to damage them.

 

[Blackadder]

who ever READS hotel bibles? I would bet he can tear out leviticus all he wants and nobody would ever notice

 

[LibraryLady]

I recently left a copy of Godless next to a Gideon bible in a hotel. It gives me some pleasure fantasizing about what might happen to it.

 

[six7s]

Link:

Yesterday was obviously a very quiet news day at that bastion of tele-journalism...

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/aug/07083005.html

AUCKLAND, NZ, August 30, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - British Actor Ian McKellen who has used the mega-stardom he achieved playing Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films to promote homosexuality, has admitted to ripping out pages of hotel bibles that refer to homosexuality.

In an August 10 interview on New Zealand's TV1 Close Up program McKellen was confronted by the interviewer questioning the truth of the rumour "He's the one, that when he stays in hotels rips the part of the bible out that criticizes homosexuality."

"Yes it is true," responded McKellen it's even tones. "Its Leviticus 18:22 that I object to, or is it 22:18, I've always got to look it up. Thou shalt not lie with a man as with a woman, it is an abomination. And they, I think the punishment for an abomination was being stoned to death," he said.

McKellen added, "I think it's rather obscene and pornographic, and shouldn't be there, so I remove it."

Asked how many bibles he has vandalized, McKellen replied, "I have no idea, but other people do it as well, people send me evidence that they have been removing that."

 

[Simon39759]

Uh, no. Note what I said earlier: I'm not interested defacing others' property or burning books. It doesn't matter if I agree with what they say or not.

I wasn't commenting on you in particular, just as to how too many Christians are crying to act of intolerance, all the while engaging in even worse behaviour toward perceived expressions of atheism (such as mentioned in the discussion about FSM sticker on one's car).