Banning L'Engle

As a writer, who is also Christian, L’Engle has faced much opposition to her work. She is one the top 100 most frequently banned authors in the US. One reason for this is her mixing of religion and science. L’Engle, unlike many other Christian, feels that religion and science are “one and the same”.

                L’Engle doesn’t feel that religion and science have to be at odds. This is evident tin her interview with Bob Abernethy. L’Engle about how science and her religion can comingle. One does not have to put science in one place and religion in another. As L’Engle says they inform each other. L’Engle, in her interview also, somewhat, challenges her religion when she says, “Science knows things move and change, and religion doesn't want that”. She is more comfortable with science than with religion but doesn’t just stop believing in God. L’Engle’s attitude about science and religion has led to the banning of many of her works.

                The funny thing about banning a book is that the actual banning of a book is more harmful than the book itself. The fact that many people fight to ban L’Engle’s book is, sort of, ironic because they are doing more harm by trying to ban the book than the books themselves are doing. Though, A Wrinkle in Time has some parts that some think challenges Christian ideology, there are still positive Christian messages in the story. In fact, I would argue that A Wrinkle in Time is more of a pro-Christian than an anti-Christian, though L’Engle asserts it is meant as neither.

                  Those who want to ban A Wrinkle in Time because, it goes against their Theology are, themselves, being very anti-Christian. I understand not agreeing with a message from a book but to ban a book for going against Christianity just doesn’t make sense to me. It seems to go against the core idea of Christianity, which is acceptance. By fighting so hard to ban L’Engle’s work the people doing so are expressing their ignorance of their own religion and are in turn doing more harm to the cause.

                After doing service at Tunbridge I thought whether or not this book would be appropriate for the students to read, since they are about the age when some students read it. My answer was, and still is, an unequivocally yes. I fell this book is very appropriate for students to read. I contend that it is a disservice to the learning of the students to ban this book as their options are being limited thereby, in a way, harming them.