Advocacy group: Bible must be banned if other books stripped from … – cnhinews.com

OKLAHOMA CITY Oklahomas state superintendent must also demand that the Bible be removed from public school libraries if he continues his push to ban books containing graphic pornography, an advocacy group said.

In a letter to Superintendent Ryan Walters, officials with the Freedom From Religion Foundation wrote that the Bible contains nearly 150 verses displaying a pornographic view, yet other books the Republican official has publicly targeted do not contain the graphic sexual content from which he wishes to protect children.

In a statement, the group said Bible verses contain sordid tales of victims forced to marry their rapists, graphic sexual depictions, and countless references to sperm, intercourse, menstruation, homosexuality, bestiality, adultery, and whores.

The best solution is to allow a diversity of viewpoints in school libraries and trust students to explore topics themselves. But the Bible must go if the Department of Education continues to believe Oklahoma law requires it to remove any books containing sexual content, the group said.

We want to make it clear that we are adamantly opposed to banning books, Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor said in a statement. But the religious zealots cant have it both ways. They cant scour books looking for sexual references or content to offend them regardless of literary or social value and context then say that the true obscenity found in The Bible must be judged differently.

In response, Walters said he has a hard time taking any atheist group seriously that tries to compare LGBTQ-themed books like "Gender Queer" and "Flamer" to the Bible.

The Madison, Wisconsin-based group, which has more than 40,000 members, focuses on upholding the constitutional separation between church and state.

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson didnt reference 'Gender Queer' when drafting any of our founding documents, Walters said in a statement. It is disappointing that this is even a discussion. One cannot rewrite history and force liberal extremism under the guise of religious freedom. I will continue to defend our faith while its under attack by woke radicals.

State Rep. Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa, said Oklahoma is comprised of many different faiths, and state policy needs to respect them all.

She said the groups request is fair, and that theres been a push for similar action in other states where leaders have attempted to ban books in school libraries.

It is shocking, but so appropriate, she said.

State Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, said the Bible is "different" than the books Walters is attempting to censor.

He said the Bible does not use the same graphic sexual depictions in pictures, images or written descriptions as the books Walters is targeting. He also questioned how many public school libraries actually have Bibles on their shelves.

Theyre essentially trying to remove the rights of parents to protect their children from obscene material, Standridge said. And to bring the Bible in the conversation is again despicable because their only goal is to somehow put pornography in front of children. I dont understand why an adult would want to do that.

State Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, acknowledged there are verses in Psalms and the Song of Solomon that may not be appropriate for some children, but he fears the Bibles removal could affect access to other literature.

If were going to consider some of that, even in the adult-version Bible, as graphic and pornographic, then I think theres a lot of books that would wind up being taken out because theres a lot of symbolism and different things like that, he said.

He said lawmakers want to ensure that any content on school library shelves is age-appropriate, and said the Bible should have a place on the shelves, as long as its an age-appropriate version.

State Sen. Blake Cowboy Stephens, R-Tahlequah, said hell never support removing the Bible from school, and said he finds it humorous that the advocacy group is calling for the removal in a state that embraces a very conservative way of life.

I will take my last breath in defending keeping that Bible in front of every person thats on this planet because I believe its the best book that was ever written, Stephens said. I love the Lord and I love his work.

Janelle Stecklein covers the Oklahoma Statehouse for CNHI's newspapers and websites. Reach her at jstecklein@cnhinews.com.

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