After schools in northern Utah banned the Bible, Christians across the world rallied against the district authorities. Now, they’ve been forced to make a U-turn.
Initially, the local lawmakers said the text wasn’t appropriate for middle and elementary schools.
The decision was met with 70 separate complaints, resulting in the board of the Davis School District overturning the decision.
"Based on their assessment of community standards, the appeal committee determined that The Bible has significant, serious value for minors which outweighs the violent or vulgar content it contains," they said.
The initial move came after new legislation introduced in 2022, which allows parents in Utah to challenge the appropriateness of books accessible to their children in libraries and schools.
Similar legislation is currently proposed in Arkansas and Florida.
However, an unnamed person – believed to be against the powers now afforded to parents in Utah – has been campaigning to have the Bible banned, citing it as one of the most “sex-ridden books around”.
“You´ll no doubt find that the Bible ... has no serious values for minors because it´s pornographic by our new definition ... If the books that have been banned so far are any indication for way lesser offenses, this should be a slam dunk,” they continued.
Last year, the US saw a record number of attempts to ban a range of books.