# Thou Shalt Not Steal



## Asath (Oct 11, 2013)

Unsurprisingly, the book most often stolen, nationwide, from both libraries and bookstores, by a wide and impressive margin (nothing else is even close), is . . . 

The Holy Bible.

Must just be those pesky heathens, arranging a massive conspiracy to deprive the true believers of their source material (which they can get for free everywhere from street-corners to hourly motel rooms )  . . .

Um?  No.  Wait.  Perhaps it is the truly righteous, outraged that their Holy Book is on offer in a place that also contains blasphemous material, and they feel it is their responsibility to liberate the Book in question from such a profane context, by stealing it.

Nah.  Oh! Maybe it is just folks who are already ‘Saved,’ by having declared it so, and thus bear no further responsibility for their merely temporal acts, because, by their own declaration, they are already forgiven any ‘Sin’ of this Earth.  That could be the explanation. Nah, that would be cynical.

Or it could be because the ‘Devil’ made them do it.  But that would be silly, because, really, what use would the devil have for millions of stolen Bibles other than as fuel to help burn the thieves? And how would he get them to take the stolen Bible with them? Ghosts have books?  Nah.

This one is a real head-scratcher . . .


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## centerpin fan (Oct 11, 2013)

Asath said:


> Unsurprisingly, the book most often stolen, nationwide, from both libraries and bookstores, by a wide and impressive margin (nothing else is even close), is . . .
> 
> The Holy Bible.



... much to the chagrin of Abbie Hoffman:

http://www.amazon.com/Steal-This-Book-Abbie-Hoffman/dp/156858217X


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## Asath (Oct 12, 2013)

Indeed.  That was the first thing that came to my mind too.  I mean, you INVITE people to steal the book, and they don’t.  You put one out that tells them, plainly, NOT to steal at all, and they do.  There’s something here about basic human nature that defies humanity’s own endless descriptions of themselves.
     Something completely counterintuitive clicks when you read that fact, and then wisely go out and find out it is a verified fact – not something some idiot like Al Gore made up to make a point.  What could possibly motivate this sort of thing?
     Moreso, because the Holy Book in question is free for the asking, and any believer would gladly give you theirs if you wanted it that badly and couldn’t find one.
     It makes no sense, and seems to speak something about people, in general, that defies easy analysis and glib articulation.
     I have no particular agenda with this thread – I was sort of floored by the fact when it crossed my desk, and just wondered if anyone had any ideas about this one.  If true mystery actually exists, it seems that this one qualifies.


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## JamHunts (Oct 13, 2013)

Hollow rhetoric as usual.


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## drippin' rock (Oct 13, 2013)

JamHunts said:


> Hollow rhetoric as usual.



Does this mean he is wrong?  Is the bible NOT the most stolen book?


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## Asath (Oct 13, 2013)

“Hollow rhetoric as usual.’

Ah.  I’ve so come to prize empty, judgmental, snarky, content-free, thought-free, and intelligence-free responses from the well-washed masses here.  Thanks for your time and advanced thinking, sir.   Any discussion stands enhanced by this kind of enlightened contribution.


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## pnome (Oct 13, 2013)

Asath said:


> Unsurprisingly, the book most often stolen, nationwide, from both libraries and bookstores, by a wide and impressive margin (nothing else is even close), is . . .
> 
> The Holy Bible.



I find this hard to believe.  Can you site a source for this?

There are just so many ways to get one for free that I can't imagine why anyone would think they had to shoplift one, or get it from the library.   I mean, all you've got to do is go to any random church and ask for one.  

It available for free online too: http://www.biblegateway.com/


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## Asath (Oct 14, 2013)

That was kind of my thought pnome – it seems counter-intuitive, and seems like the sort of thing that might invite some thoughtful discussion.  As far as citing a specific source goes, when I went to verify this snippet that crossed my desk, adjunct to an already odd news article, I naturally Googled the question “Most Stolen Book?”  The response was gigantic and overwhelmingly unanimous – so it is simple to do – just look – if I am the one citing a single source, SOMEONE here with a chip on their shoulder will come out of their periscope life long enough to attack the source rather than the fact (as well as the messenger, which is all they really have these days as a strategy other than ignoring the truth and those who dare to tell it, since they can’t simply gang up and burn us bearers of bad news at the stake anymore – another reality which seems to anger them even further).

Still, I think this is something that has the germ of a decent conversation contained – what in heaven’s name (literally) would motivate anyone at all to steal a Holy Bible?  And WHAT, for pity’s sake, would motivate SO MANY people to steal them that  Bible theft has risen to number one with a bullet on the hit parade of all-time stolen books, with the closest contenders miles behind in context?  And longevity isn’t even the issue, since this is the same EVERY YEAR, even now?  Every source from the Library folks to Barnes & Noble and back again report the same results.  There is NO possible doubt concerning the fact itself.

The simple fact of it beggars belief, and sort of left me flat-footed.  All I could think was, “HUH? You’re kidding, right?”  They weren’t.


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## pnome (Oct 14, 2013)

Well, I did the google search and I certainly see where there are a lot of people who repeat the claim that the bible is the most stolen book.  But absolutely 0 research to back it up.

I have a feeling that's a very popular myth.


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## TripleXBullies (Oct 14, 2013)

Are they being re-sold? I am sure the churches that I have been in purchased those bibles in the back of the pews. There is obviously a paying market for it... especially since it is the also the best selling book of all times (from what I remember hearing, maybe I'm wrong).


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## WaltL1 (Oct 14, 2013)

pnome said:


> Well, I did the google search and I certainly see where there are a lot of people who repeat the claim that the bible is the most stolen book.  But absolutely 0 research to back it up.
> 
> I have a feeling that's a very popular myth.





> Quote:
> With the recession, shoplifting is on the rise, according to booksellers. At BookPeople in Austin, Tex., the rate of theft has increased to approximately one book per hour. I asked Steve Bercu, BookPeople’s owner, what the most frequently stolen title was.
> “The Bible,” he said, without pausing.


While certainly localized to this one store in this example, Im not sure the owners own observations of his inventory would fall under the "myth" category?

Or - 


> The FBI estimates that retail crime costs the U.S. $30 billion a year, and some household items that people steal may surprise you.
> Apparently, thieves missed the "Thou shalt not steal" part of the Ten Commandments. According to experts, the Bible is the most commonly stolen book.The Holy Bible is available for free at many places of worship, so perhaps there's less guilt associated with pilfering a copy.


Seems to be some research behind it. Unless they are just guessing I suppose. No?


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## JB0704 (Oct 14, 2013)

Must be a slow news day on the AA front......


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## pnome (Oct 14, 2013)

WaltL1 said:


> While certainly localized to this one store in this example, Im not sure the owners own observations of his inventory would fall under the "myth" category?



As you clearly admit, that is a very small sample size.  

Even this is a small sample size, but it pretty much contradicts the idea that the Bible is the most stolen book:

http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/PWxyz/2011/07/13/the-5-most-stolen-books/

But really, there just doesn't seem to be any real statistical research done on this subject.  At least none that I could find.


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## JamHunts (Oct 14, 2013)

JB0704 said:


> Must be a slow news day on the AA front......


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## 660griz (Oct 15, 2013)

pnome said:


> Even this is a small sample size, but it pretty much contradicts the idea that the Bible is the most stolen book:
> 
> http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/PWxyz/2011/07/13/the-5-most-stolen-books/



Doesn't contradict. From your link:
“One place where the book thief is more likely to read what he hath took is the public library, and library theft tends to lean toward the practical more than the popular; news you can use, so to speak – how-to books ranging from auto repair to divorce, how to ace the GEDs and The Joy of Sex, also anything – and this is from libraries across the country – anything to do with witchcraft, the occult, UFOs or astrology. And there are some other popular choices for the kleptomaniacally-inclined – the Bible, for instance.”


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## ddd-shooter (Oct 16, 2013)

I'm guessing the word 'stolen' is a misnomer. The bible is put out in places hoping it will be taken. Ask the Gideons. 
Nobody is punished for taking such bibles, as Christians actually want people to read it. I doubt that statistic holds true for bookstores. 
I lump it with hotel towels or soap. 
But that's just me.


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## 660griz (Oct 16, 2013)

ddd-shooter said:


> I doubt that statistic holds true for bookstores.



Yes it does. And libraries.
While it may or may not be the MOST stolen. It is right up there.


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## TripleXBullies (Oct 16, 2013)

ddd-shooter said:


> I'm guessing the word 'stolen' is a misnomer. The bible is put out in places hoping it will be taken. Ask the Gideons.
> Nobody is punished for taking such bibles, as Christians actually want people to read it. I doubt that statistic holds true for bookstores.
> I lump it with hotel towels or soap.
> But that's just me.



I don't take the towels, because they aren't set there as consumables... I take all of the soap and other consumables they'll put in my room...... and I never ask for forgiveness for stealing... Am I going to he11 for living in sin and not asking for forgiveness for my soap and shampoo???


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## ted_BSR (Oct 16, 2013)

Someone should Snope's it.


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## Asath (Oct 19, 2013)

Did I mention, earlier, that the mind-set of the folks would tend more towards quibbling with the fact, twisting it, qualifying it, excusing it, apologizing for it, and denying it than actually discussing it?  

Perhaps some of us were just lucky, and weren’t raised with the ‘Christian’ approach to the truth, which seems in all cases to begin by desperately trying to find a way to wiggle out of it and deny the existence of such a thing.  

As usual, that won’t be possible here, and once that becomes clear the next step will begin – the condemnation and vilifying of the messenger.  For those of you bearing witness and taking notes, I’ll pop back in once that part is in full swing to point out the inevitable Step Three.

You can wind your watch by this process, and frighteningly enough, they haven’t altered the formula in centuries  . . .


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## SemperFiDawg (Oct 21, 2013)

Just my two cents, but I think people don't return it for the same reason they tend to hold on to the "How Too" books.  They feel they get some continued use from it, or may, as opposed to say a novel.


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