By Matt Underwood Kentucky church rents “problematic” library books and doesn’t return them as an act of “civil disobedience,” and this situation is, frankly, a mess. Let’s unpack this, shall we? It seems we’re dealing with a church in Shelbyville that’s decided to take matters into its own hands by “borrowing” books from the public library – specifically, books containing LGBTQ+ themes or featuring gay characters – and then keeping them. They’re framing this as an act of civil disobedience. But let’s be clear: what they’re doing is, at the very least, a form of theft.
Now, the leaders of this Reformation Church are apparently encouraging their members to engage in this behavior, seemingly under the banner of their religious beliefs. They want to “remove” these books from the library’s collection. The library director, who has been there for over three decades, has rightly called it stealing. I find this fascinating because we’re also hearing about these groups being champions of “freedom” while simultaneously advocating for the right to impose their personal beliefs on others. It creates a real cognitive dissonance.
The idea of “civil disobedience” is being bandied about, but the definition doesn’t quite fit here. Civil disobedience involves intentionally breaking a law you believe is unjust to provoke a reaction from the state, often to rally support for your cause. The books were purchased with public funds and are accessible for everyone. Also, isn’t one of the Ten Commandments specifically about not stealing? It feels a bit ironic, doesn’t it? Perhaps they should check out a Bible and read it, though that might prove “problematic” for them.
There are some pretty obvious problems here, from a legal and ethical standpoint. Stealing is stealing. It impacts everyone. Using the excuse of “problematic” content to justify it doesn’t make it any better. And let’s be honest, the implications of such actions are pretty grim.
The core of the matter revolves around the nature of libraries. Libraries are public resources, funded by the taxes of everyone in the community. They are not meant to be curated based on the personal, often narrow, views of a few. Libraries, at least the good ones, try to offer a diverse range of content. The books are there to inform, educate, and yes, sometimes challenge, and they are accessible for everyone.
This whole situation is just a blatant abuse of the library’s system. They’re stealing from their neighbors by depriving them of access to these books. This type of behavior isn’t civil disobedience; it is more like a targeted attack on the community. If this church does not like that book, there are other ways to affect the community. For example, the church could purchase copies of their own and donate them to the library, providing other options to the community.
It’s also interesting to note that, as the library director points out, these books are popular. If they are consistently being checked out, then the library might just buy more of them. The community might simply want more books on these topics, which completely defeats the stated goal of this “civil disobedience.” It is simply a lose-lose scenario.
There are also financial implications. Once the church is required to pay the fines and the library replaces the books, the library is then able to purchase more copies of the same book. These actions could potentially be used to replace the books, and also create a larger demand for similar books.
In addition, this church may face a challenge to its tax-exempt status if they are advocating for breaking the law. Religious organizations receive tax exemptions, but the government can remove these benefits if they violate the law.
It’s a reminder of the hypocrisy some groups demonstrate. They are breaking the rules, harming their neighbors, and violating the very principles they preach.