The Holy Bible received the 6th highest number of requests to be removed from libraries in 2015, according to a new report from the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office of Intellectual Freedom.
The ALA releases a list of books with the most requests for removal every year “in order to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools.” The ALA says that it “condemns censorship and works to ensure free access to information.”
As a summary to the reason why people wanted the Holy Bible banned from libraries, the ALA simple lists “religious viewpoint.”
Other titles in the top 10 include Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James and Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan, with the reasons given for them to be removed as “sexually explicit” and “teenagers will want to try it” for the former, and “homosexuality” for the latter.
James LaRue, director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, told Religious News Service he thinks the complaints are a form of protest of Christianity: “There’s almost a little retaliatory feel to people speaking up against the Bible because they want to go on record as being opposed to Christian opposition to LGBT (issues) or Christian opposition to Islam.”
The ALA admits the methodology for the list is not perfect, since it relies on voluntary reporting. As a result, the ALA says the list “should be seen as a snapshot of the reports OIF receives and not an exhaustive report.”
What do you think this says about our culture? Let us know in the comments!
[See also: How the Bible Almost Got “A Charlie Brown Christmas” Canceled]
[See also: QUIZ: Can You Fill in the Blanks of These Bible Verses?]