So, the Bible Is Pornography Now?
A Utah parent, frustrated some of the books that are being removed from school libraries in recent months, is calling for the eradication of what she calls “one of the most sex-ridden books around”—the Bible.
The unidentified parent submitted a request to the Davis County School District in December to review the Bible for any “inappropriate content.”
The parent’s request is to specifically remove the Bible from the shelves of Davis High School.
“Get this PORN out of our schools,” the Salt Lake Tribune reported that the parent wrote in her request. “If the books that have been banned so far are any indication for way lesser offenses, this should be a slam dunk.”
A conservative group called Utah Parents United has targeted books like “The Bluest Eye” and “Gender Queer,” a graphic novel about the author’s journey of self-identity. Utah Rep. Ken Ivory, a Republican from West Jordan who sponsored the bill to remove pornographic books from school libraries, told the Salt Lake Tribune that the request to pull the Bible are “antics that drain school resources.”
“There was a purpose to the bill and this kind of stuff, it’s very unfortunate,” Ivory said. “There are a number of studies that directly link sexualization and hyper-sexualization with sexual exploitation and abuse. Certainly, those are things we don’t want in schools.”
The upset parent calling for the Bible to removed cited a list of 130 verses from Genesis to Revelation. She listed several adjectives not appropriate for print here, but said, “You’ll no doubt find the Bible, Utah Code Ann. § 76-10-1227, has ‘no serious values for minors’ because it’s pornographic by our new definition.”
The Salt Lake Tribune article said “the code referenced in the request defines pornographic and harmful materials as those which include a ‘description or depiction of illicit sex or sexual immorality’ or a ‘nude or partially denuded figure. However, the code notes that such definitions do not apply to any material with “‘serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for minors,’ which could likely include the Old and New Testaments.
Some of the Bible verses referenced in the parent’s request include several laws for the people of Israel given to Moses at Mount Sinai, including laws regarding homosexuality (Lev. 18:22), incest (Deut. 27:20-23) and sexual assault (Judg. 19:22-29).
Yet other verses like Jesus’ words from Matthew 15:9 and Revelation 2 were also marked as “pornographic” by the parent:
- “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness and blasphemies (Matt. 15:19).
- “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols and to commit fornication” (Rev. 2:14).
The American Library Association says “the war over banning books has become heated in recent years.” Between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, 2022, the organization said it documented 681 attempts to ban or restrict library resources, aimed at 1,651 titles; more than 70% of the attempts sought to ban multiple titles.
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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.
