Utah Parent Calls The Holy Bible 'Porn', Asks School District to Remove It for Sexual Content
Warning: This news report contains graphic material that may be unsuitable for some readers.
A 2022 Utah law has been used to question dozens of books across the state considered by some to be inappropriate for children and in some cases even pornographic. Now, a parent has requested a school district remove the Holy Bible from its schools for inappropriate content.
Since the law went into effect, the Davis School District, a school district serving Davis County in Farmington has received 81 requests to review books, according to KTVX-TV. One online request from an unidentified parent asks the school board to review the Bible for inappropriate content.
"Incest, onanism, bestiality, prostitution, genital mutilation, fellatio, dildos, rape, and even infanticide," the parent wrote in their request, listing topics they believe to be in the religious text, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. "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."
"Get this PORN out of our schools," the parent wrote in a complaint dated Dec. 11. "If the books that have been banned so far are any indication for way lesser offenses, this should be a slam dunk."
The parent specifically requested its removal from Davis High School in Kaysville, according to Fox News.
The request included 49 verses from the Bible that could be viewed as inappropriate under the law, according to KTVX.
The Tribune obtained a copy of the parent's petition for the book review of the Bible after submitting a public records request for it.
District spokesperson Christopher Williams told the outlet the Bible challenge has been given to a committee to review; the process typically takes 60 days, but Williams said the committee is not done with this request due to a backlog as more parents have been questioning books.
The district has an eight-page policy to guide the selection (and removal) of materials across its 92 schools, according to KTVX.
"Anyone who requests a book to be reviewed has to have standing," Williams told the station. A person must be a student, the parent or guardian of a student, an employee, or a school board member. And the book review must be for their school," he explained.
The request can be made on the district's website. So far, the district has removed 33 books, several outlets have reported.
The book is first reviewed by a committee for indecent public displays as outlined by state law, according to KTVX. Then, the book is reviewed for any language, violence, or other references that are deemed inappropriate for a specific age.
That is the criteria under which the Bible will be reviewed. Williams told the outlet, "So, the committee is looking at that right now, looking at the law, seeing where it falls in the law that the legislature has put forth."
He also explained instead of using the time-consuming book review process, the district has a policy that if a parent doesn't want their child to have access to a certain book, they can simply call a school administrator.
Parents Group Calls Request 'A Political Stunt'
Meanwhile, Fox News reports the parent who sent the request to review the Bible also smeared Utah Parents United – a group that has spearheaded efforts to remove sexually explicit books from school libraries – as a "white supremacist hate group."
In a Facebook post, Utah Parents United, called the parent's request challenging the Bible a political stunt.
"Someone wants the Bible removed from Davis County school libraries. NOT US! We take book challenges seriously. We recognize challenges take resources and time away from teaching. If we do not believe a book violates the law we don't waste the time of teachers and parents by challenging it."
They point out that Representative Ken Ivory called the challenge of the Bible "a backhanded slap to parents that are simply trying to keep a healthy learning environment for all students in the schools."
Ivory reportedly said, "I have every confidence that no school district is going to consider the Bible as violating 76-10-1227," because it's only intended to address descriptions of sexual immorality.
The Christian Perspective
Theologians also point out that while some cautionary stories in the Bible do mention some sexual sins, the accounts are not intended to be salacious or to glorify these sins, which is what other school books in question have done. Rather, the biblical accounts point to the behaviors that God has rejected because they are harmful to humans and violate his natural law for the universe.
Ultimately, these stories that point out sins committed by biblical characters reveal God has a better design for humanity and a merciful ability to use even broken people to accomplish his plans on earth. Every account contributes to a more complete understanding of the sinful nature in every person and our need for a savior – Jesus Christ.
