‘Sex-ridden’ Bible banned by Utah schools
A Utah school district banned the King James Bible after a parent complained the “sex-ridden” book is inappropriate for children.
Several elementary and middle schools in the Davis School District removed the historic Christian text from bookshelves due to passages about sex and violence. That decision was reached by a committee appointed by the district after a parent wrote a letter of complaint in December.
The unidentified parent requested the content of “the sex-ridden” Bible be scrutinized in the same fashion as non-religious books being banned by administrators. That parent’s complaint said the Good Book contained tales of “incest, onanism, bestiality, prostitution, genital mutilation, fellatio, dildos, rape, and even infanticide,” according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
Utah Republicans passed legislation in 2022 to remove “pornographic or indecent” literature from classrooms. That led to dozens of books being reviewed with more than 20 getting banned, according to Utah station KUER. Toni Morrison’s first novel, “The Bluest Eye,” and Maia Kobabe’s memoir, “Gender Queer,” were among the casualties.
The parental complaint that got Bibles taken from shelves cited the legislation and argued that, by its guidelines, the holy scriptures offer “no serious values for minors” due to its “pornographic” nature.
The letter of complaint was accompanied by eight pages listing examples of arguably inappropriate content. A Davis School District spokesman reportedly said the ban will go into effect immediately, impacting as many as eight schools.
According to the Tribune, the school district received a request Friday to also review the Book of Mormon for content that may not meet newly enacted standards set by lawmakers. More than 60% of Utahans are Mormons.
The King James Bible will remain available to Davis high school students. An appeal that would return the Bible to lower grades is under review. Different translations of the Bible were reportedly allowed to remain in one junior high school and a pair of elementary schools.
With News Wire Services
