The Bible Must Be Held to the Same Standard as Other Banned Books

I am writing to address the clear double standard in our state’s school book bans. If books are being removed for sexual content, violence, LGBTQ+ topics, or discussions of abortion, then the Bible must be held to the same standard. It contains graphic material that would disqualify any other book and has been misused through mistranslation to push false claims about abortion and homosexuality. The Bible includes rape, incest, slavery, genital mutilation, and mass murder—content that would lead to a ban in any other book: • Rape & Murder: Judges 19:22-30 – A woman is gang-raped and dismembered. • Incest: Genesis 19:30-36 – Lot’s daughters get their father drunk and sleep with him. • Sexual Violence & Slavery: Exodus 21:7-11 – A father may sell his daughter as a slave. • Genital Mutilation: 1 Samuel 18:25-27 – David delivers 200 Philistine foreskins as a bride price. • Cannibalism: 2 Kings 6:28-29 – A woman boils and eats her own son. If books are banned for inappropriate content, why is the Bible exempt? The False Claim That the Bible Condemns Homosexuality The word “homosexual” was first added in 1946 (Revised Standard Version), mistranslating arsenokoitai, which likely refers to exploitation or abuse, not consensual relationships. • Leviticus 18:22 & 20:13 – Part of Jewish purity laws, which also ban mixed fabrics and shellfish. • Genesis 19 (Sodom & Gomorrah) – The sin was violence and inhospitality, not same-sex love (Ezekiel 16:49). • 1 Samuel 18:1-4 & 2 Samuel 1:26 – David and Jonathan’s love is described in romantic terms. • Romans 1:26-27 – Refers to excessive lust, not modern homosexuality. • 1 Corinthians 6:9 – The word “homosexual” was added in 1946 (RSV). The Greek arsenokoitai likely refers to male prostitution or abuse. If books are banned for LGBTQ+ content, the Bible must go too, since it has been misused to promote discrimination. The False Claim That the Bible Condemns Abortion Before mistranslations, the Bible never condemned abortion—and even approved it in certain cases: • Numbers 5:11-31 – A God-ordained abortion for a suspected adulteress. • Exodus 21:22-25 – A fetus is property, not a person—miscarriage results in a fine, but killing the mother is murder. • Hosea 13:16 & 2 Kings 15:16 – Forced abortions are described as divine punishment. • Genesis 2:7 – Life begins at first breath, not conception. • Ecclesiastes 6:3-5 – A stillborn child is seen as better off than a miserable life. If books discussing abortion are banned, the Bible must be banned too for endorsing abortion in certain contexts. If books are banned for graphic content, LGBTQ+ themes, or discussions of abortion, then the Bible must be removed too. If it remains, then its correct translations must be acknowledged—rather than false interpretations used to push political agendas. Either the Bible is banned along with other books, or all books must be allowed without religious bias. Anything less is hypocrisy.