Wow if they consider LOTR Demonology, then I guess Playboy and Penthouse are Health Sciences/Biology.

High School (private and public) sucks. Once you get to college, you'll find the people are so much more open-minded and cool when it comes to stuff like this. Especially the teachers! you may actually end up becoming friends with some of your college professors - I sure did. Amazing people.

The thing that stinks about High School is that the teachers are supposedly trying to help the students and ease them into a cultured, peaceful environment, but then they do some stupid nonesense like take BOOKS away from you. It's not like you're sitting in there reading porn. COME ON.

The worst? They'll take it without even giving you an explanation! That's just unacceptable.

Sorry to hear you had to go through this, but I can see you've got a LOT of passionate support from fellow Downers. I bet you'd get some level of support from the other people in your school and parents. I'd start with all the english/literature teachers and see what they'd say.

That makes me sick to hear that. Me 8th grade englihs taecher had us read the hobbit and FOTR, andi did a liteary critism over FOTR my junior year. What right does he have to say what you can read at school. He does have the right by law to say what can be taught which i dont think is right either. Even if it is demonolgy which its not you have the right to read it. I guess thay will have to take away Beowulf, Brave New World, and the works of Kafka. Sorry i just had to say that.

Oh, I know, Tyler. It made me so mad when I heard that. It's a good thing my priniciple is ok with it now.

And by the way, welcome to the Downs!!! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

So the crusade is over! Yay!

Glad to hear more about this, Eruwen...Hope your principal is a better guy than he was...

Mae govannen to Tyler! (well met)

THEY WON"T LET YOU BRING LotR TO SCHOOL!!!!!!!!! Is there no justace in the world???

That's just disgusting... how can you ban something if you don't know what it is? Do they allow Harry Potter? (shudders at the idea of not being allowed to read tolkien and tolkien related things)

If it were my school, I'd raise a petition...then again, I have a habit of being to out spoken for a 6th grader, I told some older kid on my bus to shut up, ( I had a headache and was tiring of hearing their voice) and my best friend gave me a look as if I were insane......

It isn't as bad at my school, they let us read what we want, but I wish someone would listen to our opinions once in a while... it's like you have no sense of reason until you are out of highschool. We have to write things down in our assisgnment notebooks, which makes sense, but then they quiz us over what we wrote down. I usually fail cuz i have big hand writing and thay write so much on the board. At least i can usually make up the F with other things...

opss... i just read the post over mine, it aid that they figured out it was Harry Potter... okay.....sorry... [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

I just don't understand that! You can tell that Tolkien was a religious man just by reading LOTR and stuff! The story of the Ainulindale sounds a lot like the creation story! Well, atleast it did to me! And references such as numbers and things, could definetly be connected. Wierd. Anyways, that is really sad cuz I go to a Catholic school and a woman that WORKS there is totally obsessed with LOTR. Her office is full of posters, a display, she makes her own LOTR t-shirts, she brings in magazines and her cards, and she got tickets for my friends and I to go to the uptown in D.C. to see TTT, is taking us and during school! And I thought my principal was mean not letting us have any out of uniform days! SAD! [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] I'M MAD NOW!!! [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img]

oops, didn't see the post either! Well, that is still mean! I love the HP books! Come on, those stories are all about morals, not about devil worshipping! That's bull! [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] STILL MAD! GRRRR....yet, relieved....

Oh god, don't even get me started on HP's so called "morals"...Like practicing wizardry is so moralesque, hey, I made up a word!

You have got to love it when the Barrow-Downs unites. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] I go to a CATHOLIC chool and they encourage us to readLord of the Rings.
J.R.R. Tolkien has not only been voted the best author of the century (I'm not joking), his life has been the focus of many Catholic discussions, BECAUSE OF HOW GOOD A CATHOLIC HE WAS!!! I believe your principal needs to get an understanding of the world around, and an understanding of GREAT LITERATURE. [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img]

I love it. Ban Lot, the greatest fantasy classic of all time, and not ban kids from watching violent TV shows ect? Makes no sense.

Probably be a lot nicer, a lot less violent, and a little saner [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

I am going to make everyone very angry at a school again...by telling you about mine!

I go to a private school in Massachusetts, U.S. This year the school officials banned all of Tolkien's works from school grounds. We are not even allowed to talk about anything Tolkien (a major problem for me since my first name was created by Tolkien and I had to shorten it to simply "Aran" or go by my middle name). Besides that, several things have been cut out of the English curriculum-- Beowulf and Romeo and Juliet among the casualties-- and all of the "dead" and "dying" language courses are being either destroyed or terribly cut back.

But the Tolkien ban is one of the worst. The school principle already issued a ban against J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, Ray Bradbury, Marion Zimmer Bradley, T.H. Whiter and others, so it didn't come as a huge surprise. But it was awful for the first few days for the hardcore Tolkien fans. The library had to be searched head-to-toe and the art department's gallery was ransacked for anything remotely Tolkien inspired. This meant my painting of Maedhros had to go as well as my very un-Tolkien painting of the crescent moon.

FYI, I will not disclose the name of my school for reasons that are my own. So in other words, if you want to yell at them in person, you are going to have to do a lot of searching first.

Thanks for reading my little rant...

[img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] How Dare They!!!!!! You need to do something about this. Sign a petition. Horde banned books in your dek. REBEL!!!!

Okay, my friend just told me that the district is going to ban LotR, Harry Potter, and chess. I hope it's only a rumor, though.

Chess? Why would they ban Chess? Is that so evil as well?

It's because it was in Harry Potter. That was actually their grounds for getting rid of the chess club! Four parents called thinking chess and wizards chess were the same thing. [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] Another reason was because people were gambling on it, which is also no grounds for banning. Anyone could bet on anything. I could bet on the outcome of a school football game, but I can promise you that they wouldn't ban that. Idiots.

[ January 12, 2003: Message edited by: Nevfeniel ]

Morgul Queen I'm with you, LOTR babyish! I'd like to see an 8 year old who could totally understand it! I'm only 16 but then I probably don't understand it fully I also hope that school has been sorted out. If I continue I'll probably say something I'll regret.

[ January 13, 2003: Message edited by: Silmarien ]

If you don't want to go to Amazon.com to buy the book "Finding God in The Lord of the Rings", there is an article found in Breakaway, a teen Christian guy's magazine, that was written by the co-author of this book. Check it out:
Here
God bless!

Ok, What is wrong with this generation(well the one ahead of me) They say that we aren't reading enough. They say we aren't reading anything worthwhile anymore. so when we find a set of books that we really like they ban it. Why, well I could see if peopel were bring books in and just sitting there reading in class toatally oblivious to the world that might make a few ppl mad. (heheh I did this, I was at a really cool part and I didn't want to wait.) I like Harry Potter also and my district was thinking about banning it. a lot of parents were complaning that there was demon worship in the books. Well if we are going to ban books with an evil charter in them that used supernatural powers, then why dont we get rid of all the movies too, right. Well that would mean buh bye to almost all of the Disney movies. Almost all cartoons, anything, and if we cant have an evil charater then we cant have a Christ like figure at all either, so all the books about religon would go all references to the Bible would also need to go, and taht is a lot almost every novel has that in it. so now I ask waht do we have left to read? Nothing, no master peices, nothing. That is what we would be left with, nothing. We would be a county or world with out knowledge, without a knowledge of what has shaped us as a country or world. We would never know the great authors, they all have these "taboo" subjects in them. My motto is go big or go home, and if you tryly wanted to ban books like LOTR or HP or anything elese you would, in return be banning all books,movies, and anything elese like that, and that is a scary though that there are people in this world who want that.

Oh yeah, and they want to ban LOTR because of the little children and the effect it might have on them. Well they why are there books on homosexuality and stuff like that in our libraies at school. I was in the Librart once and caught a buch of little inoccent kindergarderns looking at this book with picture about sex. I took it away from them (they were very graphic pictures) I look on the cover and saw that it was recomened for ages like 7-12 or something like that. It was soooo gross. ARGGGG! I just really makes me mad. well anyways i think im done for now.

(sorry bout all the mistakes in spelling and stuff when i get passonate bout something whao my mind changs and i cant stop.)
Adios!

Check out this site.

Hmmm....maybe the Vatican will decide to read LotR and do the same.

I always get angry when books are banned, Luckily my school doesn't ban any books. But why should they ban Harry Potter. People take it way too serious. It is a book for kids!And then they started talking about how black magic might be taken serious blah blah blah! Enough already,kids are reading isn't that what they want? [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img]

Read in the other locked thread on this subject:

I can understand most of those, but beastiality and evilness? Where do they get that?!

Banning books is retarded. There's nothing more I can say on the subject for fear that I will go on a twenty-page snarling rant that will put you all to sleep and make me only madder.

My cousin's school banned Harry Potter because that allegedly promotes witchcraft (although having done some of the spells I can safely say they do not work), and my friend had Noughts And Crosses confiscated because it was 'too graphic' (read: it contains stuff that's actually relevant to modern-day teens).

Teachers are mean - just because they don't like your taste in literature that doesn't give them the right to tell you what to read!! Too right your mum should fight against it Eruwen!

Saying that, I'm not condoning reading books in class (although I do that all the time [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]) because it disrupts the learning environment and stops you paying attention in class - I still blame my reading ROTK in Biology class (although it was only at the beginning of class and I was sitting at the back) for my B on the modular test

This is insane! How can someone hate Tolkien!? [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img]

It's not about hate, it's about fear, ignorance and power. It's the same mentality that was used by the Klu-Klux-Klan, Hitler, Spanish Inquisition and Extremists all over the world. If you don't understand a thing you ban it or destroy it. Sadly there is far too much of it about in our world, and banning books is one of the milder version of this. Basically its unconstituional to ban books, but not being american I can't remember which ammendment. For goodness sake you have the right to bear arms but not read books? Yeah right!

Some schools are so 'politically correct' that they can't understand what is wrong and what is not. If a book was 'how to worship the devil in 10 ways' a school could and should bann it, but probobaly wouldn't because if could be considered religious! Some stupid schools even banned Harry Potter because of witchcraft and The Wind Singer for graphic descriptions. How I hate this one aspect of the United Sates- politically ccorrectism. [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img]

FIGHT THE POWER

lets lynch him or in some way shape or form punish him for his blanent ignerence can we say castration. fight the oppressive forces that are against you. renagades forever

[ March 03, 2003: Message edited by: NAri Brassbow ]

[ March 03, 2003: Message edited by: NAri Brassbow ]

[ March 03, 2003: Message edited by: NAri Brassbow ]

holy cow. this really gets me peeved. you definatly know that school systems are going down the tubes when they ban LorR. that's just wrong. i thought my school sucked for having uniforms. someone totaly has to stop this. its nuts. i don't get ****ed at much, but this really does it....grrr... [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

hey, how come when i wrote P...I...S...S...E..D it put the little asterics after it?? wierdness. never thought that was a bad word...i'm not one for swearing either...o well [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

A good friend of mine was kicked out of her parochial high school for reading LOTR's! It's so frustrating, but some people just don't get it. I see a lot of parallisms to the bible in LOTR's. I agree that "Finding God Through Lord of the Rings" is a very good book. It's equally frustrating to me when people try to compare LOTR's with Harry Potter! Like I said. . . some people just don't get it.

I have heard this other places too. Its not so uncommon, its just dumb.

[img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] I want to kill. Burn the Principls hair. Start underground tolkien clubs at your schools and then rise up from the shadows and rebel like your life depends on it( I would). Wear anything tolkien related, shirts, rings, etc. Bring your lunches and eat tolkien food. If they stop you go to infliction of wounds. if they try and take any tolkien thing from you defend it and your rights. Start rallys outside of your school. If you write for the school newspaper write an arcticle. If your pricipals take tolkien away email them this page. give me their email address and let me do it.

If you name is tolkien related and thay say you can not use it I would seriously fight anyone who stood in my way.

Finding god in LOTR is a good book but your Principals will not read it. so what if you get expelled. Just more time for you to plot and take Revenge!!!

Don't really hurt anybody if you value your education, but i'd hrt them and make them suffer. Change Schools [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img]

Oh my Illuvatar!! That is so stupid to ban a book from school. I mean, c'mon, don't they want students to read for pleasure? Usually they ban gameboys and other electronic stuff. But Tolkien, of all writers, most influential in the fantasy genre... That's preposterous!! ARRRGGGGGHHHH!! This should never happen to ANYONE!!

Ban Tolkien! Er...who *is* Tolkien?
The examples of ignorance, intolerance and bigotry within the US education system that the young people posting on this thread have encountered would be hilarious were they not also deeply depressing, and frankly, scary.
And it is not just about Tolkien. Book banning and even book burning of all kinds of literature is becoming increasingly common in the United States and this is something that frightens me. It is linked to the rise of right-wing religious fundamentalism and the way Orcs like Rush Limbaugh have taken control of the airwaves.

Religious fundamentalism has always been here. But as for SANE religious fundamentalists, we mostly stay quiet, don't protest anything, use rational language, and fervently hope that people like Jerry Falwell and Rush Limbaugh will go hide out in the mountains and stop inadvertantly slandering our cause. The Harry Potter thing kind of makes me both amused and sad. Amused that these people actually believe all the crazy things said about those great books, and sad for the same reason.

Harry Potter and LOTR are not bad books at all. My friend and i were talking about this topic with Harry Potter and its not the Author trying to make us believe in magic it's the message that she trying to get through. For LOTR , Tolkien was a christen wasn't he? and arn't some of his topics based on the bible? i don't think any principal should bann a book unless thy've read it!

[ March 08, 2003: Message edited by: Pervinca Burrows from Combe ]

in a magazine at my church they had a discussion thing about whether harry potter was good or bad for christian values. i have to say it's good, or at least nuetral. i have this book about christian values in lord of the rings which is really REALLY good. this is obviously ignorance of what is really in these books

Right. They're great books, and it's absolutely silly to say that Harry Potter or LOTR are 'evil'. A friend of mine has parents who fervently believe that Harry Potter is leading kids to Satanism because an article they got via email said so. Of course we tried to tell them that it was originally from the Onion, but they aren't listening. [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]