Is it permissible to burn missionary bibles?

If the stuff was given to you, then it's yours to trash. So, sure it's permissible to burn missionary materials (but not missionaries!).

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Permalink Reply by Jewish Israel on July 29, 2009 at 12:12am

Agreed, Moshe.
We need a very different approach here in Israel, and the secular community is very vulnerable.
Keep the ideas coming.

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Permalink Reply by Moshe Verschleisser on September 17, 2009 at 11:54pm

Curious about how this would sound - a developing thought, really.

Christians that brought those books to Chassidic areas should've known that the response would be along the lines of a book burning; that being a virtual given, shouldn't the Christian world be blaming their own for what happened?

It's like on Discovery's Shark Week, when these divers pole and prod great whites until they attack, and when they do, get the cameras rolling. The provokers only have themselves to blame.

Jewish Israel said:

Agreed, Moshe.
We need a very different approach here in Israel, and the secular community is very vulnerable.
Keep the ideas coming.

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Permalink Reply by Sharon Elizabeth Kerr on December 25, 2009 at 9:25pm

My understanding of Torah Law is, "You shall not pity the missionaries. eg. When Elijah saw the people following the Baal, he said, 'Those who follow G-d then follow, and those who follow the Baal, then follow him. Elijah rounded up all the priests of Baal and put them to death.
Deut. 13:12 Not to missionize an individual to idol worship. Deut. 13:9 Not to love the missionary. Deut. 13:9 Not to cease hating the missionary. Deut. 13: Not to save the missionary. Deut. 13:9 Not to say anything in his defense. Deut. 13:9 Not to refrain from incriminating him. Deut. 12:2 To destroy idols and their accessories.

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Permalink Reply by ellen on December 26, 2009 at 6:46pm

I would put this problem in perspective and the context of today.
a) We should be able to legislate laws which include reasonable penalties - including fines and deportation for missionary activity.
b) We must remember that a good number of Torah observant Jews - including those currently working in the counter-missionary field - came from evangelical missionary backgrounds.

These are spiritually confusing times and although a no-nonsense, zero-tolerance approach to missionary activity is needed, I don't think we need to do away with with civil law and compassion.

Sharon Elizabeth Kerr said:

My understanding of Torah Law is, "You shall not pity the missionaries. eg. When Elijah saw the people following the Baal, he said, 'Those who follow G-d then follow, and those who follow the Baal, then follow him. Elijah rounded up all the priests of Baal and put them to death.
Deut. 13:12 Not to missionize an individual to idol worship. Deut. 13:9 Not to love the missionary. Deut. 13:9 Not to cease hating the missionary. Deut. 13: Not to save the missionary. Deut. 13:9 Not to say anything in his defense. Deut. 13:9 Not to refrain from incriminating him. Deut. 12:2 To destroy idols and their accessories.

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Permalink Reply by Sharon Elizabeth Kerr on December 27, 2009 at 4:34am

The Torah is still the same to day as it was yesterday.
Is it permissable to burn their bibles,Yes, and as for compassion, 613 Commandments 'Laws of Idolatry and Paganism.
#36;#37:#38;#39;#40;41
Also you shall not add to it nor take away.

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Permalink Reply by ellen on December 27, 2009 at 8:46am

Sharon,
That's why we have Torah sages and why the commentaries are so important.
Capital punishment in the Torah was surrounded with so many conditions and restrictions that actual execution was rare if not next to impossible. A Sanhedrin that permitted even one execution in 70 years was deemed murderous.

"The Torah is still the same today as it was yesterday" , but we aren't. Compared to the sages of the past, we are all holding at an embarrassingly low level, so I'd exercise caution and think long and hard on this issue.