A Utah parent is calling for the Bible to be banned in school districts, claiming it violates the state’s 2022 law regarding “sensitive material.”
“Get this PORN out of our schools!” pleas the anonymous parent in their scathing request to Davis High School, calling the Bible the “one of the most sex-ridden books around.”
Utah’s law HB0374, passed last year, prohibits materials that include “pornographic or indecent” content.
The parent cited the Bible’s “incest, onanism, bestiality, prostitution, genital mutilation, fellatio, dildos, rape and even infanticide” as cause for its removal.
The disgruntled parent wrote to the school board on Dec. 11, per the original document obtained by the Salt Lake Tribune this month.
Referencing the non-profit group Utah Parents United, which has routinely advocated for the removal of certain books — including ones with LGBTQ content — on various social media platforms, the parent called the organization a “white supremacist hate group.”
“The guideline is meant to provide a clear standard for what is acceptable for k-12 school libraries,” Nichole Mason, president of Utah Parents United, told The Post. “The law is meant to protect children from unrestricted access to explicit sexual content in k-12 schools.
“None of the passages from the Bible meet the Bright Line Standard for pornographic content.”
The “bright line” rule is another term for material that meets the requirements for removal, such as being “indecent” and “pornographic.”
“Utah Parents United left off one of the most sex-ridden books around: The Bible,” the statement continued, noting a “gap” in the long list of banned books.
But Mason told The Post that “not every reference to sexual activity meets the criteria for removal from a school library.”
The anonymous person submitted an eight-page list of their own for review, which cited and quoted specific biblical passages that described, alluded to or depicted scenarios that could be considered “offensive,” they claimed.
“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,” the Utah parent wrote.
“If the books that have been banned so far are any indication for way lesser offenses, this should be a slam dunk.”
Rep. Ken Ivory (R), who sponsored the state’s book ban bill, called the parent’s Bible ban request “a backhanded slap to parents that are simply trying to keep a healthy learning environment for all students in the schools.”
“I have every confidence that no school district is going to consider the Bible as violating 76-10-1227,” he added, referencing the section of the law that describes sex acts or sexual immorality.
The parent’s snarky letter of concern comes as more book bans are introduced throughout the nation.
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