disposing of old Bibles
How do we dispose of old deteriorated Bibles? I must admit I have thrown some down the HDB thrash bin although most of them I have given away or made available for others to take and use. How many Bibles have I owned and fawned and used and discarded like used tissues at a hawker center table? I dare not 
guess. How should we dispose of old used Bibles properly? I have thought of different things but the best idea I have come up with so far was to give it away for others to use. But what will the others do with it when they buy their own new Bibles? So my interest was piqued when Anthony Loke of Old Testament Passion blogged about this and linked to a rabbi Mark Gellman’s recommendation. I have extracted the rabbi’s idea about proper disposal of old used Bibles for your convenience. Tell me what you think.
Q: I have quite a few old Catholic prayer books handed down from my wife’s mother years ago. I would like to know how to dispose of them. — F., via e-mail
A: Catholic prayer books (missals) and old deteriorated Bibles still bear the word of God and the name of God in them. They are old and worn, but they are still vessels of the holy, and so they cannot be disposed of in the garbage with yesterday’s green bean casserole. This respect for worn-out sacred books is universally shared by Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In older and more traditional Catholic practice, I am told, the books would be covered and buried respectfully though not necessarily in a cemetery. They should be covered and then buried. “Dust to dust” refers to the disposal of all holy vessels.
10 comments June 17th, 2008
