The culture war in the US is intensifying. A Bible in English (Photo: Reuters)
Several schools in the U.S. state of Utah have removed Bibles from shelves because they contain "vulgar and violent" passages. The decision was made following a complaint from a parent, who claimed that the Bible contains topics inappropriate for children.
The complaint was based on a law passed last year in the conservative state banning the display of "pornographic or obscene" books in schools. Most of the books banned so far deal with issues such as sexual orientation and identity, part of the culture war raging across the United States.
Bans on certain books considered offensive also exist in the Republican states of Texas, Florida, Missouri and South Carolina. On the other hand, some liberal countries have also banned certain books that they claim contain offensive and racist content.
"Pornographic" book
The Utah decision was made last week by Davis County, north of Salt Lake City, following a complaint filed last December. Officials said they had already removed the seven or eight copies of the Bible that were on school and middle school shelves in the district. According to them, the Bible was never part of the curriculum. The committee did not specify its reasons or which excerpts contained "vulgar or violent" content.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the parent who complained said the Bible had "no important values" for children and was "pornographic by our new definition," referring to a law passed last year.
The bill's sponsor had previously opposed a request to remove the Bible from school libraries, calling it "mocking," but last week he changed course, saying it was a "challenging read" for young children. "Traditionally, in America, it's best to teach and understand the Bible at home and around the fireplace, as a family," lawmaker Ken Ivory wrote on Facebook.
The Davis County decision determined that the content contained in the Bible did not violate the law, but it did include content that was "vulgar or violent and inappropriate for younger students." The book will remain on local high school shelves.
Bob Johnson, the father of an elementary school student in the district, said he opposes publishing the Bible. "I can't think of what's in the Bible that needs to be taken out, it's not like it has pictures," he told CBS.
This is not the first county in the United States to remove the Bible from its school shelves. Last year, a Texas county took similar action following complaints from residents opposing conservative efforts to ban certain books. And last month, students in Kansas asked to remove the Bible from their school.
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