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Good morning. Books have been banned since at least Roman antiquity, when Ovid was banished for writing The Art of Love. In 1859, George Eliot鈥檚 novel Adam Bede was attacked as the 鈥渧ile outpourings of a lewd woman鈥檚 mind,鈥� leading to its withdrawal from circulation libraries. In 2022, the American Library Association reported that attempts to ban books were up 38 percent from the previous year. "The vast majority,鈥� according to the Association, 鈥渨ere written by or about members of the LGBT+ community and people of colour."

The report, then, that a school district in Utah has removed the Bible from elementary and middle schools for containing "vulgarity and violence" might raise some eyebrows. The Bible is, after all, often seen as a text beloved in more conservative US states. The ban follows a complaint from a parent that the Bible has material unsuitable for children, though the banning committee did not elaborate on which passages contained "vulgarity or violence".

There is no doubt that the Bible is remarkable. It is, as C.S. Lewis said, 鈥榓 treasure house of English prose.鈥� It has contributed at least 250 phrases to the language, more than any other source including Shakespeare. Its distinctive phrases include 鈥榯he grapes of wrath鈥� and 鈥榓 fly in the ointment鈥�.

Is it suitable reading for children? Well, I certainly understand why parents might want their child鈥檚 first bible to use more accessible language. And there is no doubt, that some parts of scripture warrant a content-warning. There is murder, mass killing and sexual violence.

I suppose the real question for me is whether the Bible is suitable reading for adults. I say this only partly with tongue in cheek. This ancient book has the abiding power to both capture and challenge truths about the human condition. The stories it contains of violence and exploitation can shock, but they expose the depths of the human capacity for self-centredness and deception. More significantly, as I read it, the ultimate bias of scripture is to claim that God is love. The person who reads it risks not only being convinced of humanity鈥檚 wickedness, but that their life might actually be worthy of divine love and forgiveness.

If that doesn鈥檛 convince you that the Bible is a dangerous read, perhaps the Artificial Intelligence ChatGBT鈥檚 summary of it will. When recently asked by a journalist to suggest a blurb for the Bible, ChatGBT called it, 鈥楾he ultimate guide to life, love and eternal salvation! With enough drama and plot twists to rival Game of Thrones, it鈥檚 sure to keep you entertained for thousands of years to come.鈥�

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