Threats Force SC Library to Cancel Summer Program
Joan Oleck -- School Library Journal,06/20/2007
A South Carolina library system has closed down its summer programs for young adults after receiving threats and allegations that it was trying to promote "witchcraft" and "drug use."
The Pickens County Library System’s half-hour summer programs for middle and high school students were supposed to take a light-hearted look at the topics "Secrets and Spies: How to Keep a Secret by Writing in Code or Making Invisible Ink" and "What’s Your Sign?" Another program was to examine astrology, palmistry, and numerology; and others were to feature tarot cards, tie-dying t-shirts, how to make a Zen garden, and yoga.
Now the programs are cancelled in the wake of phone and e-mail threats from the community, believed to emanate from a single local Baptist church. The astrology program was labeled as "witchcraft" by callers, while the Zen garden and yoga programs were objected to as "promoting other religions." The t-shirts workshop? "Promotes the hippie culture and drug use," callers said.
"If you have an anonymous call of a bomb, what do you do?" asks Library Director Marguerite Keenan, explaining her decision to cancel the YA programs. "You clear the building, you close the building for the protection of the children. And that’s hugely sad."
Keenan says that the stream of threatening 20 or 30 anonymous phone calls, plus e-mails, began two weeks ago. Callers spoke of "picketing" the county’s four libraries and made statements such as "We’re going to get you" and "How dare you?"
She says that a local reporter traced some of the signed e-mails to congregants of a Baptist church, whose pastor was interviewed about the threats.
Keenan adds that she made her decision because she also runs children’s programs and "I’m not going to have preschoolers walk between a gauntlet of pickets.
"It’s just sad that they didn’t feel comfortable enough to talk," Keenan says of the church protest. "We do have a broad community here. And we are a public agency that needs to support all."—Joan Oleck
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| Submitted by: | Amanda LaBoone 7/30/2007 7:47:40 PM PT |
| Location: | Easley, SC |
| Occupation: | Personal Care Aide/ ABA Therapist/ Studying for my COTA |
Wow...talk about bad mouthing others. I happen to be a member of RSBC here in Easley. It just happens that the area we live in is religious. Reading is dangerous because it lets us see outside the box? Please. We all attend public schools, we read and are influenced by our peers. My church is not keeping us in some basement beating us with the Bible. We have a choice.
But back to the library. I work with children and I'd much rather see programs using Dr. Suess who taught us adult morals as children through his stories. I'd like the children to learn about other places in the world. I want their learning to be something meaningful; something they can carry with them longer as I did with Dr. Suess and the Box Car Children Mysteries. Dealing with Tarot and Zen and whatnot should be up to a young adult (not children) to partake when they are old enough to have heard both sides of it. They should choose what they want to do when they are old enough to understand their own decision.
This really bugs me that others looking in from the outside are as judgemental than this. More dangerous than Islamic terrorists? Yeah right. We aren't killing because of our faith, we're standing firm on our beliefs. As for the threats, every religion has it's nuts...actually, every faction of society as a whole has it's nuts. There are liberal nuts, conservative nuts, religious nuts, secular nuts. Not one group as a whole is perfect. To be calling our group judgemental because of a few makes the accuser just the same.
| Submitted by: | Linda G 7/17/2007 10:22:39 AM PT |
| Location: | Nebraska |
| Occupation: | Self-employed |
I have never seen so many 'Christian bashers' in my life, and insofar as tolerance for religious freedom, some of the comments below go to show that 'hate mongering' is directed at the religious and those who do believe this nation and world was 'divinely' created.
If those emails WERE actually directly threatening violence or overt actions against the library or librarian, then these individuals are only Christians in name only, and not in practice at all. But also the history of this country, and even Ben Franklin's speech prior to the passage of the Constitution acknowledges they were 'believers' and the 'separation between Chruch and state' was intended to insure the freedom of religion without governmental interference, not freeing our public institutions from any religious or moral accountability.
It is 'no state religion' shall be established, and 'freedom of religion' not 'freedom from religion.' And the entire Bill of Rights is based on the Ten Commandments themselves. Franklin and those other 'fathers' were escaping the 'one' state religion, the Church of England and its authority over even the monarchy, and attempting with the First Amendment to insure harmony between the Protestants and Catholics (the Church of England and Church of Rome).
You do have to research the 'intent' of that provision, and there are many in this country that do believe astrology, tarot cards, palmistry and all these claimed 'New Age' religions are not 'religions' at all, but spiritual fraud.
Don't get me wrong, obviously a conversation with the library officials, or petition would have been the way to go and if threats and violence were involved, over-reactions with no Christian basis, but these comments also reflect intolerance and Christian bashing has become the new 'freedom of speech' right it appears.
And I also feel very sorry for the gentleman who claims he was raised in a Christian home....Christian children are taught to honor their Christian parents, not blind obedience without challenge (as Jesus did challenge and question his mother on two occasions in the bible). The bible also teaches that Christian parents are not to 'frustrate' their children either with inconsistency or in their authority.
And the U.S. is not a 'democracy' at all, but a Constitutional Republic. Democracy is 'voting' rights for representation. And the Constitution itself is based on 'majority rules, minority rights,' and even 'supermajorities' required for passage of any laws or legislation to protect the people and those freedoms and liberties.
Again, not defending the actions of these individuals, who obviously may have had a point with 'New Age' propaganda being actually 'taught' by a public librarian in a public forum also, but went about it definitely in the the wrong way.
| Submitted by: | Chloe 7/15/2007 12:48:21 PM PT |
| Location: | united states |
| Occupation: | citizen |
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” (First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America.) Please remember, my dear people of Pickens that those who opposed the teachings promoted by the library had the right to do so, as long as violence was not involved. Whether the opposition threatened violence is not clear from the article, but even then it would be the manner in which the beliefs were presented rather than the beliefs themselves that was inappropriate. Everyone in America has the right to exercise and promote their respective beliefs as long as violence is not involved. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (Declaration of Independence.) All people are created equal and possess equal rights, even if you disagree strongly with them. I should hope we as Americans possess more intelligence than to merely discredit another by calling them dirty names. I challenge someone to present me an argument based on logic, the constitution, and history proving that those opposed to the library programs were wrong in what they did or how they went about it.
| Submitted by: | J.C. Gallagher 6/29/2007 11:02:24 AM PT |
| Location: | Chicago, IL |
| Occupation: | university research programmer |
Zen gardens, yoga, intellectual fun for kids.
You really need to pursue serious legal measures against
any and all people who threatened you because of your program. What they did was a crime, and should be punished to the full extent of the law. What next? Book burnings? Firings of any staff who are not Baptists? You think it can't happen?
I'd suggest you throw a big party for the release of the new Harry Potter novel.
| Submitted by: | David Merchant 6/27/2007 2:37:25 PM PT |
| Location: | Louisiana |
| Occupation: | Instructor |
They were concerned that the Zen garden and Yoga was "promoting other religions"?????? What, they don't do missionary work themselves???? Hypocrites, Sadducees, and Pharisees, that's what they are.
Oh, and about the rest of the programs, I thought Christians believed that America was divinely set up - if so, then Democracy was divinely ordained, and if so, uhm, freedom anyone? Democracy is not a dictatorship. Hypocrites, Sadducees, and Pharisees, that's what they are.
| Submitted by: | Law Librarian 6/27/2007 2:00:50 PM PT |
Reading this article made me both unbelievably sad and so mad I could spit. When did a small group of bullies get to call the shots in a DEMOCRACY? The library needs to do the right thing, reinstate the summer programs and bring in the local law enforcement. If local law enforcement cannot be on hand to ensure safety of the library and program participants, then the state troopers need to be called in. Also, turn the tables on this so called Christ loving ministry that has resorted to small minded bullying. Picket the church, boycott the businesses that the members belong to, write letters, call tv stations. MAKE SOME NOISE!
| Submitted by: | peter 6/25/2007 2:27:31 PM PT |
| Location: | california |
| Occupation: | librarian |
um, isnt' that terrorism?
where's \cherthoff and gonzales on this one?
if that were my library i would be all over it
| Submitted by: | N. Puryear 6/25/2007 8:35:03 AM PT |
Substitute 'Pakistan' for 'South Carolina' and 'mosque' for 'Baptist church' and it's just another Taliban story. No doubt these same paradoxically devolving creeps all "Support our Troops" in the effort to "spread Democracy." The mind reels.
| Submitted by: | Kevin Coon (Connatheist@yahoo.com) 6/23/2007 6:42:57 PM PT |
| Location: | Connecticut |
| Occupation: | Utility Worker |
I agree with Mike from Connecticut who said people have to stand up to this type of bullying. The actions by members of the Rock Springs Baptist Church are just as kooky as the members of Fred Phelp''s Westboro Baptist Church, whoa, another Baptist church, in Kansas who have picketed soldiers''s funerals in CT. saying some man in the sky allowed the death of soldiers to punish America for it''s tolerance of gays. This follows the late Rev. Falwell blaming the 9/11 attacks on gays,non-believers,etc. instead of the Islamic terrorists. The point is the latter two publically and legally expressed their opinions, as warped and bigoted as they were, and were countered by people with more rational thought speaking out. Unlike the bullying calls and e-mail threats which should be investigated and prosecuted. Let these people picket in public so these religious zealots can be exposed. The library programs should go on. The soldier''s funerals in CT. were not canceled. Authorities were on hand to ensure protection for all involved. The same should be the case in S.C.
| Submitted by: | Simone Mefford (mizmoon@greenwoodsvillage.com) 6/23/2007 1:50:17 PM PT |
| Location: | Ky. |
| Occupation: | Writer. |
It''''s this kind of idiot,narrow-minded, facism that has allowed ANY religion to make lives miserable for others for centuries. Xianity is one of the worst...especially the Baptists. I was raised in a Crispy-ized household and I hated it. So long as it was considered godly and biblical then it was just fine to do. Of course we were taught that "god" wanted us to ALWAYS obey our elders said and do what they wanted us to do. I learned a valuble lesson from all this...NEVER buy into organized religion of any kind. These religious types are some of the biggest liars, thieves, cheaters, connivers, and will do anything else that suits them...and they will think it''''s alright because they are doing it all for the "glory of gawd!" Baptists are the worst! The biggest bunch of bullys and hypocrites in the crispy bunch! The library should have went ahead with their summer program and filed a restraining order and charged these people with harrassment. And, if needed had some police officers to ensure that no harm came to students or teachers during the duration of the program.
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