Society at large is having an important but heated discussion about what books are appropriate for each age level and what should be readily available in schools. It is a very nuanced discussion that often gets taken over by people with extreme views. One Utah parent attempted to point this out and got the Bible banned from the school district after a complaint made in December 2022.
The Davis School District has restricted access to the King James Version of the Bible. Only high school students are currently allowed to check out the book. Time will tell how conservative Christians take this news.
The complaining parent argued that the Bible is “one of the most sex-ridden books around." Their issues with the text do not stop there. “Incest, onanism, bestiality, prostitution, genital mutilation, fellatio, dildos, rape, and even infanticide,” they continued. “You’ll no doubt find that the Bible, under Utah Code Ann. § 76-10-1227, has ‘no serious values for minors’ because it’s pornographic by our new definition.”
Republican Utah State Rep. Ken Ivory, who helped create the law, was not happy about this. He is calling for a thorough “review the age/appropriateness of all instructional materials." He does admit that the Bible might not be completely age appropriate for all.
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"Traditionally, in America, the Bible is best taught, and best understood, in the home, and around the hearth, as a family,” Ken concedes. He believes that the King James Bible is "a challenging read for elementary or middle school children on their own.”
The same school district is also now reviewing the Book of Mormon. Time will tell which religious texts make the cut.
