Reed Reunited

Reed had a crazy story about how he lent The God Delusion to his friend and all hell broke loose.

It looks like he got the book back. From the friend’s father.

But not without some drama:

He showed up at my door a few minutes ago and thrust the book into my hands, urging me to never go near his property or son again. I made no promises, but I thanked him for my book. Curiously, there was a saliva test for blood-alcohol-content and two business cards from my former school principal crammed into the front cover along with the hastily scrawled phone number of my former high school’s computer technician. I don’t know if he is trying to send me some sort of message or if he’s just a very confused individual, but I’m fairly happy that I got my book back.

It’s amazing what lengths some parents will go to in order to shelter their children from ideas they don’t want the kids to hear… sad, really.

It’s not like the friend couldn’t get the book from anywhere else. And judging by how his father is reacting, my guess is this friend will be among the more vocal of the atheists in the future.

[tags]atheist, atheism, Reed Braden, The God Delusion[/tags]

Kelly

Wow. I’d say that dad needs to read your book, Hemant. I fear that my kids will go through stuff like this, but I’m at least 20 minutes north of the Bible Belt. What a psycho.
Hopefully the principal was just giving lip service to the dad about having to think it over.
Kelly

Wow. I’d say that dad needs to read your book, Hemant! I fear that my kids will go through stuff like this, but I’m at least 20 minutes north of the Bible Belt. What a psycho.
Hopefully the principal was just giving lip service to the dad about having to think it over.
Steelman

“It’s amazing what lengths some parents will go to in order to shelter their children from ideas they don’t want the kids to hear… sad, really.”

As a parent, I want to protect my kids from those who would try to encourage them to believe things that are false, and behave in a way that I consider immoral. I think that’s what this father thought he was doing.

Unfortunately, he did it in an underhanded and authoritarian fashion, and his actions were aided by another who thought he could get away with the same type of behavior.

I have to put myself in that father’s position, and think what I might do if my son was given a religious book by one of his Jehovah’s Witnesses or Scientology friends. If my son was in high school, as this young man was, I’d discuss it with him (and probably not worry much, since by then he should be able to recognize nonsense when he sees it). If he were a bit younger, I’d read it with him, we’d discuss it, I’d present our family’s views, and have him return it.

Obviously, this father’s son is about to be an adult. When will this young man be deemed able to think for himself? Unless he intends to lock his boy in the basement, this dad better get used to the idea of his son making his own decisions.
Polly

It belies the confidence some display about the “truth” of their religion. If they really believed it to be true, they wouldn’t be so afraid of opposing viewpoints. It’s like claiming to be the greatest chess master in the world but refusing to ever play a game with anyone – except novices.
The alternative explanation is that they think so little of their near-adult children’s intellectual strength that they feel they need to shelter them so they won’t be “deceived.” Either way, it’s sad.