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One thing that might add to the interesting paradox of Christian based reasons for banning or publicly defacing literature is the idea of book burnings. Clearly banning books seems to have the opposite effect since in today's society one usually knows when any work of significance is banned thanks to the media. Book burnings, however, are another thing entirely.

A book burning, for those that don't know, is where a group of people get together and literally burn, often in a bonfire type setting, books that are generally hated by that particular group for whatever reason. The Nazis were known to do this with anything that was non German literature. In the time of the Nazis, however, the book market was not nearly as commercialized as it is today.
Christian book burnings generally are rather hypocritical and pointless. First, there's the idea that burning a book, like banning a book, will reduce readership for that book. Ironically enough, this seems to increase readership, just like banning a book does. Teenagers in particular seem to take a moment to be rebellious against their Christian ideologies. Second, there is the idea that burning the book will reduce the sales and essentially create public renouncement of a particular work. Again, this is far from the case. Book burnings, at least in the early stages of them, are often publicized in some manner. In the case of Harry Potter, a book and series that had already gained a lot of attention, these book burnings were mentioned in newspapers, blogs, websites, and even television, and were spoken of for quite a while. Even the Christian channels discussed the idea of book burnings. Rowling and her publisher must have enjoyed this free publicity as her books did nothing but sell and sell as if the book burnings were having the complete opposite effect.
Then one also has to ask, what exactly is a book burning good for? Nothing, really. Sure, it makes you look good amongst your religious friends, but the people that show up at book burnings are generally the people that already hate that particular book anyway. Not only that, the books being burned had to be paid for by someone. A publisher is less likely to care what happens to their books after they are sold anyway. If you burn the book, that's your business. The publisher and the author have already received their payment, and in return the book burners gave them free publicity.

Learn more about this author, Shaun Duke.
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