1948: Catholic Church publishes final edition of “Index Librorum Prohibitorum”

“Forbidden” Lists as Accidental Reading Guides

• Several comments note that a public Index now would function like a “to-read” list, referencing comedy depictions of censorship.
• Historical notes from Wikipedia and anecdotes support this: similar indices (e.g., Germany’s list of youth-harmful media) or the old Catholic Index functioned as reverse marketing—being banned made works more attractive.
• Umberto Eco is cited as joking that the Index was a convenient canon of essential reading.

Sin, Reading, and Catholic Doctrine

• One self-identified Catholic rejects the Index outright, arguing that reading, thinking, and speaking cannot themselves be sins.
• Others counter with catechism-based arguments: sin includes utterance, deed, or desire that offends God; thus reading/thinking/speaking can be sinful if directed against God, scripture, or tradition.
• Subthreads debate whether atheism is inherently sinful:
  • One side claims honest, sincere disbelief is not sin.
  • Another cites the Catechism and the First Commandment to argue atheism is a sin against the virtue of religion, though culpability can be reduced.
  • This leads to a long exchange on whether belief is a “choice,” and whether someone can will themselves to believe what they are convinced is false.

Scripture, Protection of the Flock, and Modern Guidance

• Scriptural passages are marshaled to justify church leaders “guarding the flock” and suppressing heresy, with the Index seen as one formal mechanism.
• Some commenters wish for a modern, softer equivalent: not bans, but church-sanctioned reviews warning about “downright evil ideas” in books and media.

Scope and Impact of the Historical Index

• A Wikipedia quote notes the Index was legally binding only in the Papal States unless adopted by civil authorities; some argue this shows limited reach, others note many Catholic states had similar lists.

Science and the Index: Copernicus, Galileo, and Rationality

• Commenters highlight Copernicus’ inclusion; another clarifies his work was only conditionally forbidden after removal of a section.
• There is discussion that, given available observations, early geocentrism was not obviously irrational; heliocentrism simplified planetary motion but initially left other phenomena (e.g., tides, stellar motion) unexplained.

Language, Culture, and Other Targets

• A substantial tangent dissects English tense choice (“was abolished in 1966” vs. “has been abolished”), with non-native speakers expressing appreciation for precise corrections.
• French and German idioms for “putting something on the index” are traced back to the Catholic practice, plus a condom joke playing on “index” as forefinger.
• Freemasonry is noted as still incompatible with Catholicism.
• Descartes’ inclusion on the Index is seen as reflecting the church’s concern about philosophies promoting intellectual independence and weakening ecclesial authority.

Modern Parallels and Dark Humor

• One commenter compares the Index to modern state censorship in Russia targeting “extremism,” LGBTQ themes, and dissenting authors.
• Another draws a wry parallel between the Index and contemporary financial “sanctions lists” curated by payment processors.