People Being Rude In Public

Let me regale you with a story about reading a book in a library...

One day, I was at the library. I would normally go to use the Internet, mainly because most books I wanted to read I would buy so I could read them at my own pace without having to worry about an overdue fine or renewing. (So, after I got home internet access, I haven't really been to the library...)

I would usually take the bus. This specific day, I missed it, so I went back inside the library so I could read the book I bought in peace. The book happened to be Sky Island by L. Frank Baum. (My copy!)

I sat down at one of the little reading tables they have (with a lamp in the middle, so your book is completely illuminated). By and by, an elderly looking chap walked up. He looked at me, so I looked back at him.

"Excuse me," he said, "is that a Christian book?"

Now, as I have mentioned before, I am a Christian as well as an Oz fan, not a perfect one, but struggling to get things right.

"No," I replied. Why would I need (or even want) to lie to this guy?

"Well, I heard that there's a Christian college near here, and figured this would be the library for it."

I ignored him and he left.

Yes, there is a Christian college near that library. In fact, there are five! CBC, BBC, SBU, SVU, and Evangel, where my mom went and later told us about the spiders and gigantic insects. In fact, Springfield has many colleges. In addition to these Christian colleges, there is also Drury and MSU, formerly SMS (where Kendra Kassebaum, one of Wicked's Galinda/Glindas, attended), and two night school colleges whose names often change.

BUT... Evangel, BBC, SBU, SVU, Drury and MSU all have their own libraries...

Why did this guy feel a need to ask me if I was reading a Christian book? Did he think it was his right to know? Christians are not banned from reading non-Christian books, by any means.

Although, there are some Christians who feel it is their duty to overdo their responsibilities. There was this one radio preacher who was so against anything non-Christian, he told people not to drink tea because of fortune teller's use of tea leaves, and medicinal herbal teas sometimes used in non-Christian religions. I also remember he proudly told a girl in a hospital that she need to read the Bible after tearing up a magazine she was perusing. That guy is now dead, but he was promised his program would be re-aired until Jesus returned. (They're in for a wait...)

Anyways... it was very rude of this guy to ask me that.

Whatever.

This is hardly Ozzy.