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How clean is your bookshelf?

Have you gotten rid of all the SDA books from your classes & youth? I purged several large boxes of devotionals, Ellen White collections, and religion class notes/textbooks when I moved out. But I still have at least 6 or 7 bibles, and probably some story books with the standard adventure-adventure-and-then-find-Jesus plot that always made me get bored and stop reading during the third to last chapter or Josephine Edwards stories.

I've kept the bibles for reference, and to look authoritative to anyone who visits my house, but with the internet around I'm thinking of burning them. (I wouldn't want them to end up where they could harm someone.)

How many SDA books/paraphernalia/propaganda do you still have in your house and why? Bibles? Ellen White? The 27 28 Fundamental Beliefs? Storybooks? Devotionals? Uncle Dan & Aunt Sue tapes? Pip Pip the Naughty Chicken?

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Permalink Reply by Alexandra on November 24, 2012 at 10:32pm

OMG I forgot to mention I also have a book that I smuggled out of library at the Adventist school beacause it was too embarrassing to hire out at the time. I obviously never bothered to return it, but no one was reading it anyway and it was way, way too old (1969).

It's Vol. 3 of the "life cycle library for young people". Chapter titles include:

you and your family

how to keep a conversation going

dating for girls

dating for boys

necking, petting, and sexual feelings

parents watch the clock

how do you know when it's love

what about marriage

It seems to be a totally secular series and I can't help but wonder what kind of person must has bought or donated this to the library. Despite the fact it is a non sda book it is the strongest symbol of that school I still own and I will always remember being 13 and actually ignorant and terrified enough to have to read this. The illustrations are absolutely delightful, cute pictures of 60's people doing 60's things in pencil and wash and marker.

Permalink Reply by Dustin Williams on November 25, 2012 at 1:48am

Right about the time I hit puberty my mom had me read the Life Cycle Library instead of actually having "the talk" with me.

Permalink Reply by Alexandra on November 25, 2012 at 2:30am

I wonder if it's just a really common set or if it does mainly circulate between SDA's for some reason.

As far as I'm concerned kids should be made aware of something before they actually have to deal with it, ie. sex ed at 6-9, not 16. Makes me so incredibly angry.

Permalink Reply by Dustin Williams on November 25, 2012 at 5:23pm

All school topics, including sex ed, should be presented every year or so in age appropriate ways. For a first grader it would be presented as basically where babies come from, by the time you get to middle school it needs to be a lot more detailed and realistic with ways to effectively avoid STIs (like pregnancy). Anymore, waiting until high school is way too late.

Permalink Reply by Ben Roth on November 25, 2012 at 9:34am

My grandma gave me a how-to-date book whose title I don't remember that was printed in the 40s or 50s when I was at her house once. My sister got the girls version and did the same. I skimmed through some of it, and quietly put it back on one of her shelves when no one was looking. Everything in it related back to god, and the advice itself was terrible. I kinda wish I'd kept it now because I think it'd probably be a pretty hilarious read.

Permalink Reply by CFlower on November 24, 2012 at 4:08am

I have a couple of Bibles. A couple were my mom's. I may still have some Walter Morneau prayer books of hers, but I can't remember if I got rid of those. They are sentimental to me because she died in March of 2011.

Permalink Reply by Dustin Williams on November 25, 2012 at 1:49am

That's more than a good reason to keep them.

Permalink Reply by Scott Fillmore on January 17, 2013 at 10:55am

I've still got the Conflict of the Ages series. I only read The Desire of Ages, though. (it was a gift from my parents so it's got some sentimental value...plus, it's a part of my history so why not) I've got a big textbook I had to buy while at PUC entitled "Messenger of the Lord"...figured it'd be good reference material. A New Revised Standard bible, and i think somewhere i have a book by Graham Maxwell entitled Servants or Friends which was pivotal in my own personal theological thinking..and eventually led to a nice transition into secular humanism. Right next to those i've got The Moral Landscape, The End of Faith, The God Delusion, Breaking the Spell, Letter to a Christian Nation, Infidel and Society without God. Nice to have the visual representation of the big transitions in life. :)

Permalink Reply by Humble Pie on January 19, 2013 at 8:50am

A little heavy on the Sam Harris there, no? Ha!

You wouldn't happen to be related to the Fillmore's in Kansas City's Adventist circle, would you?

Permalink Reply by Aaron Wood on February 15, 2013 at 9:57pm

Definitely an interesting question. I know some people pay a decent price for used SDA books because the new ones tend to be expensive. I feel guilty selling them or donating them anywhere as I'm not sure they are beneficial to anyone. I also feel a bit guilty throwing them out as that seems wasteful! Ha. I have thrown some out, though, and will probably do that some more. Can you put books in the the city recycling program??!

Permalink Reply by Humble Pie on February 17, 2013 at 11:20am

Where I live the city doesn't recycle books, but Half Price Books does. Anything they think will sell they give you a bid on, and they rest they recycle. You should see if there are any in your area. http://www.hpb.com/stores/