File Under: Oh Dear God!

A Baptist church in Canton, NC, is starting a new tradition this Halloween. They're having a good, old fashioned book burning. OK. So...nothing new. This one is different though. These guys are burning bibles. Yes, you read correctly, BIBLES; probably causing God himself to rest his head in his hands, shake his head, and say "Jesus Christ".

They consider all translations of the bible other than the King James to be inferior, and therefore, satanic. Not only are they burning bibles, but they're also lighting up books by authors such as Billy Graham, the Dalai Lama, and Mother Teresa, CDs of christian music, and many other "satanic" items.

The Associated Press covered the story and interviewed the pastor, one Marc Grizzard. He was nice enough to show up on camera wearing his Sunday best, a white t-shirt and overalls. I honestly do not know if the AP was intentionally making jokes at the pastor's expense, but I did notice something pretty funny in the video. At the :41 mark, the reporter uses the words "spells it out" just as the camera pans over the word "contempory" on the announcement. I think the word he was going for was "contemporary". At this point, I can't even tell if I spelled it correctly, but my spell check hasn't underlined it.

Interesting side point: At the :12-:15 mark in the video, you see the NWT mentioned. That stands for the "New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures" aka The Jehovah's Witness bible. Personally, based on my experience, that translation has been tampered with, primarily with the addition of "God's name" added in places that it was uncalled for or didn't exist. So, Mr. Grizzard, you can burn all of that particular "contempory" translation you would like you. Oh, and could you throw in a couple of Amy Grant CDs in for me? Thanks.