The King James version of the Bible has been taken out of circulation in several Davis School District schools in Utah after it was determined that the text contained elements of “vulgarity or violence.”
This decision comes in response to a petition made following a state law that resulted in the removal of numerous books containing sexual content from school libraries.
Fox 13 Salt Lake City reports that the King James Bible has been removed from an estimated seven or eight elementary and junior high schools following a district review committee’s decision to withdraw the Bible from all non-high schools.
The committee deemed the text to contain “vulgarity and violence.”
Although a district spokesperson reportedly stated that the Bible “does not contain sensitive material as defined by Utah Code,” it was still decided to pull it from schools due to its deemed inappropriateness for certain age groups.
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In March 2023, a Utah parent filed a petition requesting the removal of the Bible from schools, describing it as “one of the most sex-ridden books around.”
The parent claimed that the historical text includes elements such as “incest, onanism, bestiality, prostitution, genital mutilation, fellatio, dildos, rape, and even infanticide.”
The parent further argued, “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.”
As a result of this subsequent review, the King James Bible was then removed from the aforementioned schools.
The controversy stems from a law passed in Utah in 2022, which sought to prohibit the presence of books deemed inappropriate for certain age groups. The law specifies that if a parent formally requests it, schools must remove books containing:
“Human genitals in a state of sexual stimulation or arousal”
“Acts of human masturbation or sexual intercourse”
“[or] fondling or other erotic touching of human genitals or pubic region.”
Republican State Representative Ken Ivory dismissed the notion that removing certain books constitutes book banning, asserting that it is merely an effort to establish age-appropriate limits.
However, Michele Edgley, president of the Utah Educational Library Media Association, voiced her disagreement, stating that she believes parents do not have the right to have books banned.
“I don’t think that most parents have either the right or the knowledge of the student bodies to be banning books for the entire school,” she said.is
Another individual has promptly appealed the decision to remove the Bible, advocating for its return to all schools. The final determination lies with the appeals committee, which will consider whether the Bible is appropriate for reinstatement.
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