The Bible is the most common book in all of literature. (It is the most printed, the most sold, and the most translated book in the world.)

There is also a rumor that the Bible is the most shoplifted book in the world. (Which may seem hard to believe, considering that "Thou Shalt Not Steal" is one of "The 10 Commandments".)

And based on my experience with picking up litter, I would say that the Bible is probably the most littered book in the world as well. (Which may seem hard to believe, considering that throwing a "Holy Book" on the ground is considered "blasphemy" in many religions.)

Any time that I find a book littered on the ground, I will curiously look to see what book it is, and over the years of doing this, I have still yet to find any other book more than once. (And not only is the Bible the most common book that I find, but even a lot of the small booklets, leaflets, and pamphlets that I find littered on the ground are "Biblical" ones...






So why are there are so many Bibles and Bible themed pieces of literature littering the streets? Probably because people who are religious will give them to people who aren't religious in the hopes of converting them, and since not everyone wants these, combined with the fact that not everyone disposes of things that they don't want properly, a lot of Bibles and Bible handbooks unfortunately end up as litter on the ground.

But the reason that I wanted to share this observation is because I want to encourage everyone (religious or not) to start viewing the act of throwing ANY litter on the ground as "blasphemy".

The dictionary definition of the word "blasphemy" is "The act of expressing disrespect or irreverence towards God or towards something considered sacred."

If you believe in a God, and you want to show your reverence and respect for the creator, the last thing that you should do is destroy what they have created.

If a large group of people got together and burned a bunch of "Elton John" albums, it would probably be safe to assume that they aren't "fans" of him or his music. And if we as a species are trashing the planet, driving the other species into extinction, and even endangering our own lives by poisoning the soil, water, and air that we need in order to eat, drink, and breathe, a God would probably assume that we don't appreciate the gift of life that we have been given any more than a person appreciates the gift of a free Bible if they end up just throwing it on the ground.

A lot of religions teach that life is "sacred", and if that is what you believe, then please keep in mind that ALL life (at least that we know of) lives right here on planet Earth, and therefore any deliberate act of polluting the Earth (which is the home and sanctuary for all known life) would have to be considered an act of disrespect and irreverence towards something that you consider "sacred".

And for anyone who doesn't believe in a God, and who believes that we "evolved" naturally through nature itself, by destroying nature we are not only forgetting where we came from, but we are seemingly unaware of where we will end up if we keep doing this.

Even if you are a staunch atheist, and you want to laugh whenever you meet a God fearing person who believes that "Hell" is a real place and who stands on the street corner passing our religious reading materials and preaching that we will face "God's Wrath" if we don't repent, "Nature's Wrath" is no joke, and if we continue to treat the Earth as if it were disposable, and act as if it was created just for us humans (and more specifically just for us humans who are alive at this moment in time) the Earth will start to take on many of the same characteristics that the Bible and other religious texts talk about when describing "Hell".

But if we can start having more reverence and respect for the Earth, we may just find that "Heaven on Earth" is not only possible, but is already here!

You've probably seen some stunning "before" and "after" nature photos where there will be a picture of a littered beach next to a picture of the same beach after some volunteers took the time to clean it up, and what these kinds of photos demonstrate is that a far more beautiful world already exists, but it is difficult to see and appreciate the beauty and miracles around us when is buried under a zillion pieces of litter.

I am on a "mission" to pick up a zillion pieces of litter. Not because I want to "create" a better world, but because I want to help "reveal" a better world that has already been created!

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