The Bible
April 26, 2023:
A letter to the editor was published in Baton Rouge's "The Advocate," and addressed book banning going on in Louisiana (and other states):
"As a committee of Jefferson Parish librarians evaluates 12 books that include discussions of sexuality and gender, I wonder what they would have to say about a best-selling multi-generational saga that includes the following scenes:
A father offers his virgin daughters to a mob in place of his male guests whom the mob is determined to rape. The mob refuses his offer. Years later, the daughters get their father so drunk that he passes out, and then both have sex with him.
Brothers avenge the rape of their sister by deceiving the rapist and his male relatives into undergoing circumcision. While they are still recovering from the procedure, the brothers attack and kill them, seizing their property, women and children.
A man practices contraception by masturbating.
A woman tricks her father-in-law into having sex with her.
A ruler has an affair with the wife of a military officer, then has the man assigned to the front lines where he is likely to be — and is, in fact — killed.
A brother rapes his sister.
A woman entices an enemy general with the suggestion of sexual favors and then beheads him.
Seven sons are tortured (in gruesome detail) and killed in front of their mother, who is then also killed.
Of course, the book to which I am referring is the Bible. See Genesis chapters 19, 34, and 38; 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 13; Judith chapter 12; and 2 Maccabees chapter 7.
And she ends, But, you say, there is so much more to the Bible than the passages I’ve described? My point exactly."
In Virginia, Several school systems have posted lists of books and instructional materials found to contain “sexually explicit content” as described in Senate Bill 656, which passed the state legislature last year. Each list contains dozens of titles, including “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The Diary of Anne Frank,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Outsiders.”
Families can expect to receive permission forms prior to any lessons involving these materials. Alternative materials will be available if permission is not given.Further reviews were done by department chairs and central office administrations before the division’s list was posted online. The final product includes George Orwell’s “1984,” as well as many of Shakespeare’s plays and “Catch-22″ by Joseph Heller.
A letter to the editor was published in Baton Rouge's "The Advocate," and addressed book banning going on in Louisiana (and other states):
"As a committee of Jefferson Parish librarians evaluates 12 books that include discussions of sexuality and gender, I wonder what they would have to say about a best-selling multi-generational saga that includes the following scenes:
A father offers his virgin daughters to a mob in place of his male guests whom the mob is determined to rape. The mob refuses his offer. Years later, the daughters get their father so drunk that he passes out, and then both have sex with him.
Brothers avenge the rape of their sister by deceiving the rapist and his male relatives into undergoing circumcision. While they are still recovering from the procedure, the brothers attack and kill them, seizing their property, women and children.
A man practices contraception by masturbating.
A woman tricks her father-in-law into having sex with her.
A ruler has an affair with the wife of a military officer, then has the man assigned to the front lines where he is likely to be — and is, in fact — killed.
A brother rapes his sister.
A woman entices an enemy general with the suggestion of sexual favors and then beheads him.
Seven sons are tortured (in gruesome detail) and killed in front of their mother, who is then also killed.
Of course, the book to which I am referring is the Bible. See Genesis chapters 19, 34, and 38; 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 13; Judith chapter 12; and 2 Maccabees chapter 7.
And she ends, But, you say, there is so much more to the Bible than the passages I’ve described? My point exactly."
In Virginia, Several school systems have posted lists of books and instructional materials found to contain “sexually explicit content” as described in Senate Bill 656, which passed the state legislature last year. Each list contains dozens of titles, including “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The Diary of Anne Frank,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Outsiders.”
Families can expect to receive permission forms prior to any lessons involving these materials. Alternative materials will be available if permission is not given.Further reviews were done by department chairs and central office administrations before the division’s list was posted online. The final product includes George Orwell’s “1984,” as well as many of Shakespeare’s plays and “Catch-22″ by Joseph Heller.