Heretical Books

[brand0c0mmand0]

Hello, thanks in advance for any responses. I came to the Church as a protestant, as a Calvinist reformer. I have been a heavy reader. My question is, am I able to morally sell my old collection of books for money? Is there a line to draw? Like, is my selling John Calvin’s “Institutes of the Christian Religion” different than lets say my “23 Minutes In Hell”(which is written by a protestant but not blatantly against the Church, still books in this category will contain heresy)?

Would this be on the same kind of morality as selling porn or dark arts books? Should I just burn them or can I refurnish my wallet by getting a little bit back from all the books I have bought? :3

 

[kerath25]

Hello, thanks in advance for any responses. I came to the Church as a protestant, as a Calvinist reformer. I have been a heavy reader. My question is, am I able to morally sell my old collection of books for money? Is there a line to draw? Like, is my selling John Calvin’s “Institutes of the Christian Religion” different than lets say my “23 Minutes In Hell”(which is written by a protestant but not blatantly against the Church, still books in this category will contain heresy)?

Would this be on the same kind of morality as selling porn or dark arts books? Should I just burn them or can I refurnish my wallet by getting a little bit back from all the books I have bought? :3

As a heavy reader myself, I can sympathize.

I don’t have a solid answer, but perhaps you can ask yourself a few questions:

• Did these books help you to come to a more complete understanding of the faith? If so, perhaps they can assist someone else in coming to Christ, even through an imperfect understanding. I think this sufficiently covers “23 minutes in Hell”. This is harder in cases where the author is suggesting schism or heresy.
• Could you still use these books in a clear conscience? For instance, my friends and I sometimes read the works of Calvin, Luther and other such texts to better understand where they are coming from and thus better speak to others. If you do keep or acquire a text for this reason, then be very careful to read it with someone or at least let someone else know what you are doing so they can help you avoid pitfalls.
• Are any of these books advocating or suggesting apostasy? Books of this sort should be considered dangerous and even the ardently faithful should approach them with caution. However, the books that you mentioned are not in this category. I don’t think that you need burn them, provided they do not deny Christ.
• Are there a great deal of these books? Do you need the financial aid that they would provide? If not, perhaps you could donate the proceeds to the local food shelf or other such organization. If your need is great, then provide for your own needs.

Finally, I would not recommend selling them to anyone directly. I mean, do not sell them to friends or other acquaintances that know that you are a Catholic, lest you cause scandal. Try to unload them at a used book store if possible. Should they ask you any questions, tell the truth. Who knows, you may even make an impression on the clerk!

 

[Bookcat]

I think it depends on who you are selling them to and what they are. An apologist would be a good person…or perhaps donate them to Catholic Answers.

In my own library I even have books marked as being in error …if I drop dead before trashing them when their use comes to an end.

Others that are of no use to me…that are in error or dangerous…I usually rip them up even before I throw them out.

 

[I_Thirst]

I like the idea of donating them, especially if it were to an apologist or Catholic Answers as per Bookcat’s suggestion. Another idea, perhaps you could donate them to another Calvinist reformer? Just be sure to include a copy of the Catechism in the box.

The idea of selling them and then donating the money troubles me a bit. Isn’t a bit like using the thirty pieces of silver to buy the potter’s field?

 

[Joe_5859]

I would not place Protestant books in the same category as porn and dark arts books.

First, I would say that I haven’t fully worked through this issue for myself, and I have thought about it a fair bit.

I don’t think there’s a broad brush answer by which one can make simple decision for all of one’s books. If every Catholic burned every copy of their heretical books, it would make it difficult to respond to arguments people make from such books.

I have books by Rahner, Schillebeeckx, McBrien, Brown, etc. that have their share of theological problems. But the average “person in the pew” isn’t going to be reading this stuff. It at least has merit from an academic standpoint. You are probably more likely to be selling such books to someone with an intellectual curiosity over their thought than you are to someone who will be taken in by it.

It’s the pop stuff (like God Has No Religion) that I would (and have ) quickly recycle.

If it’s not specifically anti-Catholic, or even if it’s mostly good with just a few problematic areas (like Lee Strobel’s “Case for Christ”), I don’t see a problem in selling it.

I do think it is a tricky question. I mean, cashiers at Wal-Mart can legitimately “sell” contraceptives to customers without being morally culpable for contributing to the person’s sin. But when we ourselves do the selling, and when the product in question is probably used for immoral purposes even less often, how does that change things? I guess I need to revisit my moral theology books.

 

[DianaCC]

My question is, am I able to morally sell my old collection of books for money?

Heretical books are valuable and cherished additions to a Catholic apologists’ library. Sell them for a fair price.

I have a wonderful collection of anti-Catholic and anti-Christian literature that I would never, ever sell. It helped me master the arguments of the opposition by studying only the best, most respected authors giving their arguments in the most frequently encountered and strongest forms. I have rare tracts about why the NIV is the devil’s Bible and a wonderful little book written by a rabbi arguing that Jesus cannot be the messiah.

Save your Institutes, because it has become a reference work now for you. Calvin of course believed many Catholic doctrines Protestants now reject, such as Mary’s perpetual virginity. Potentially you could argue that not even the reformers themselves believed what modern Protestants believe, so the reformation was no recovery of any forgotten gospel.

 

[Joe_5859]

Heretical books are valuable and cherished additions to a Catholic apologists’ library. Sell them for a fair price.

I have a wonderful collection of anti-Catholic and anti-Christian literature that I would never, ever sell. It helped me master the arguments of the opposition by studying only the best, most respected authors giving their arguments in the most frequently encountered and strongest forms. I have rare tracts about why the NIV is the devil’s Bible and a wonderful little book written by a rabbi arguing that Jesus cannot be the messiah.

Save your Institutes, because it has become a reference work now for you. Calvin of course believed many Catholic doctrines Protestants now reject, such as Mary’s perpetual virginity. Potentially you could argue that not even the reformers themselves believed what modern Protestants believe, so the reformation was no recovery of any forgotten gospel.

That’s what I would do if I were the OP. I know I can’t bring myself to part with my heretical books. They do make great references.

 

[valentino]

Well it depends on how much you need the money.If you can afford to throw them away do so.then again not all non Catholic literature is bad.Sometimes one may want to know what others believe.