Books

The Line Has Been Drawn

By Lee Hoover ⋅ July 23, 2008 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

I’ve always been a fairly big fan of Chuck Palahniuk. In fact, if I had to give credit to any author for my reading habits, it might just be him. At a time when I didn’t read at all, nor had the desire to, I saw a book titled Choke at an airport bookstore and decided to buy it so I would have something to keep me company during my travels. The book was so good I decided to buy the rest of his books and read them all, one after another. I haven’t stopped reading - completely - since.

Each of his books were interesting to me because they were edgy and different. But as Palahniuk continues to write, his books get more disturbing and a bit disgusting; his stories become worse because of it. Every book has a been a steady downward decline into disturbing areas in which I’m not so sure I want to go. Especially after deciding to put Christ number one in my life. When one of his latest books, Rant, was published I had some serious doubts as to whether I should even read it, but I decided to and I do admit: it wasn’t that bad. I escaped unscathed. But now I have to draw the line. I have to get off the bandwagon before it falls off the edge. His latest book I can’t read, not even if I wanted to. It’s called Snuff, and it’s about 600 guys who are standing in line to have sex on film with an adult film star as she tries to break the record for…well, you get the point. It’s too disturbing, even for me.

When I saw the book at the bookstore yesterday I do have to admit, a part of me wanted to read it. Not because of it’s content of course, but because of who wrote it. His writing is actually really good; it’s definitely different - in more ways than one - than any other author I’ve read. Plus, I’ve read all his other books so a part of me wanted to read this one as well…but I knew I couldn’t. Yeah, the content was too much, but even more I reflected on the First Commandment, the “no other god’s before me” one…and I realized that “gods” doesn’t always mean a spiritual entity.

I think putting my desire to read a certain book above my desire to follow the Lord is a form of worshiping another god. I suppose it’s the same with movies, or excessive drinking, sex, etc. What am I a slave to? What do I worship? God or other stuff - desirable stuff? What’s more important? It actually made a lot of sense to me. So I put the book down. And I know I won’t pick it up again, there’s no interest.

Perhaps it sounds weird, but I think it’s true. The whole, “Thou shall have no other gods before me” doesn’t necessarily mean “gods” in the typical sense of the word. I think we can put many things before God….we often do, even when we know we shouldn’t. Is that not the same thing? Maybe not…but to me it felt that way yesterday. So, I guess that means the line has been drawn. I’m done with Chuck Palahniuk.