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Efforts to apply the same censorship standards to the Bible

  • 1.  Efforts to apply the same censorship standards to the Bible

    Posted Aug 03, 2023 08:51 PM
    I have been following with interest the efforts to ban the Bible after parental complaints that it contains objectionable materials according to the standards set by state and local laws. Parents can challenge materials and have done so for the Bible with a long list of specific references. A Google search on the topic provides many links to Utah, where the efforts have succeeded partially in at least one school district, and in Florida where I wasn't easily able to find a successful attempt.

    Because of this, some lawmakers are adding language that would exempt the Bible from any such censorship. In my opinion, this exemption, however, would not be legal under the establishment clause because it favors one religion and is thus not content-neutral. Perhaps an exemption for all religious texts would pass constitutional muster, but then litigious bodies like the Satanic Temple could claim that some of the other books whose ban pleases the religious right could claim them as important for their religion and thus protect them from being banned. While perhaps far-fetched, this action would be in keeping with the Satanic Temple's successful efforts to sponsor student groups in public schools. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_School_Satan

    Perhaps a lawyer who follows posts here could comment on the legality of the reasoning even if its practicality is dubious.

    Bob

    Robert P. Holley

    Professor Emeritus, Wayne State University

    13303 Borgman Avenue

    Huntington Woods, MI  48070-1005

    email: aa3805@wayne.edu

    phone: 248-547-0306