Many religious traditions accord their sacred books the same respect as human remains. most traditions say that scriptures and other sacred texts cannot be burned. below, religious scholars provide guidance on how the holy books of each faith can be disposed of.
islam
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muslim scholar allamah haskafi, author of the 18th century jurisprudence text durr-mukhtar, wrote about the elimination of qurans that are no longer needed:
“if one decides to get rid of religious literature, the correct thing to do would be to bury them by wrapping them in something pure first, in a place where people would rarely walk. Similarly, it would be permissible to tie up books and papers with something heavy and throw them into a flowing river you can also burn (texts other than the quran) but in this case only after erasing the names of allah, his angels and his messengers (peace and blessings be upon them all). As far as old and useless Qur’ans are concerned, it is not permissible to burn them unless there is no other way to dispose of them.”
Judaism
Jewish sacred texts, including not only Torah scrolls but also their covers and dust jackets, “must be set aside…and subsequently buried,” according to guidelines prepared and distributed by the Chabad Rabbinical Association of Illinois , and posted on chabad.org.
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Historically, buried holy books often shared a grave with a deceased Torah scholar, according to Jeffrey Spitzer, chairman of the department of talmud and rabbinics at gann academy in waltham, massachusetts. “This serves both to honor the books and to prevent further degradation,” Spitzer wrote. In modern times, he said, such joint burial has become more difficult due to the vast amount of printed material.
however, any sacred book or object, or printed matter with god’s name written on it, is supposed to be ceremonially buried in a Jewish cemetery, rather than otherwise disposed of.
protestant
The guidelines are less strict, since Protestant theology does not place the sacred in the texts.
“Dispose of as you would any other book. Recycle the paper if you can,” former Lutheran Bishop Wayne Weissenbuehler wrote on thelutheran.org. “what matters most is how the bible is used and treated when it is working.”
humancond.org, an academic wiki site, found that the baptist, methodist, and presbyterian churches in the united states, as well as the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints, had little or no guidance on text removal religious.
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Roman Catholic
At catholic.com, similarly open guidelines are given. “There is no specifically mandated means of disposing of old Bibles. Some Catholics follow the custom of disposing of religious items that have been blessed by either burying or burning them. … If not, dispose of them as you would any other book. If it is still in good condition, you can put it on a book donation table to benefit someone else.”
the archdiocese for the military services, united states said the bible can be burned and its ashes buried.
Hinduism
Hindu sacred texts are reverently disposed of, usually by immersion in clean water, burial, or burning, according to the hari bhakti vilasa, a Hindu book of ritual and conduct. if still usable, items can be sent to next of kin or cremated with a deceased owner.
Buddhism
There is no set or official way, although a Buddhist priest or Buddhist layperson must recite a Buddhist scripture in front of the items to be disposed of, if such a person is present. the material can then be burned and its ashes buried, according to the Society for the Promotion of Buddhism. if the material cannot be burned, it is allowed to put the text in a bag and leave it for recycling.