The Bible: A Dangerous Book?

Earlier this year in Utah, a western state of the USA, the King James Bible was banned in Elementary and Junior School Libraries in the Davies County school district. The ban was due to what one parent dubbed the ‘violent and vulgar’ content in the Bible. The prohibition caused an uproar, drawing global attention, and the ban was subsequently reversed. Two journalists who closely covered the story, Courtney Tanner from the Salt Lake Tribune and Sam Metz from the Associated Press, offer insight into into the story and its wider significance.

Jonathan Thomas explores whether content in the Bible is too 'violent and vulgar' to be shared with children. Steffen Jenkins, Lecturer in Greek, Old Testament and Biblical Studies at the Union School of Theology in Bridgend and Aled Davies, director for the Welsh Sunday Schools Council, explain how they handle the difficult aspects. Methodist minister Jonathan Miller explains how many of the children he works with relish the more gruesome biblical stories. Helen Jackson home educates four boys and shares the daily practicalities of handling the more challenging parts of the Bible. She's a former secondary art and design teacher and currently writes a blog, 'Imperfectly Natural Mama' documenting their journey as a Christian home educating family.

What is the relevance of this censorship debate to the UK? In recent years books including those by Roald Dahl have undergone 'sensitivity editing' to remove offensive language. Some have called this censorship and Dr Philip Kiszely, lecturer in performance and cultural histories at the University of Leeds, and Katherine Bennett, journalist for the Catholic Herald, discusses the issues.