reading fiction=going to hell? (Patterson: movies, tax, store)

[gamarybeth]

The manager at the thrift store I work at tells me romances and books by James Patterson will send people to hell. She throws them away by the box full and I retrieve them during her lunch hour, then put them outside for free on her day off. As this is a Christian based thriftstore she considers herself doing God's work discarding books, shot glasses, rated R movies and even short shorts. I'm not allowed to tell donors their items will be trashed as soon as they leave. Not quite as dramatic as book burning but still an attempt to control or cleanse what our customers have access to. I am frustrated, if I make a fuss, then she'll trash me too. At least now I can rescue and distribute the items privately, but her words about being a bad influence are in my head. I am starting to doubt myself. Feedback please.

[knitgirl]

She sounds like a total nutcase! Keep up the good work of rescuing books!

[PeachyMJ]

In my best Nancy Grace voice - Good Lord, what a whacko.

[Mattie]

This bothers me on so many levels. Mostly, I think it's wrong to take donations and then toss them. Let them go to another group that will profit by them. Is the crazy lady providing tax receipts for these items?

[gt6974a]

2 whole post, troll

[atlantagreg30127]

Is the OWNER of the store aware of what the manager is doing?

Religion and business don't mix. While it tends to overlap down here more than some other areas of the country, I've worked for people who ID'd themselves as "Christians" who probably wouldn't have been happy for one of their managers to make decisions like that.

[Saintmarks]

If the powers that be over the thriftstore are working it as a non profit arm of a Christian ministry, they have a right to censure what is sold. However, I would think there needs to be some policy explaining to those making donations of what specific materials are not acceptible.

If tax donation slips are being given and then the items are tossed, then there is something ethically wrong with the stance. As Greg said, if the owners or board or whoever have oversight of this work have a different set of criteria for what is sold there and your boss is circumnavigating their wishes and intentions, she is in the wrong, however good her intentions may seem to her.

At the same time, I would say that your circumnavigating your manager and giving the items away on the sly is not an ethical place to be either, no matter how good your intentions. I think there needs to be (especially in light of this being a Christian institution of some kind) a come to Jesus meeting of all parties involved.

[Saintmarks]

To directly answer the specific title of this thread in one word: No.

[JPD]

There's no such thing as hell.

Always remember that.

[LovinDecatur]

Take her out for a couple of cocktails and talk it over.