A report from The American Library Association 2016 – The ALA fielded 275 formal challenges to materials in school libraries in 2015, and, for the first time ever, the Bible has landed on the top 10 list.
Though this is the first time the religious book has made it to the top 10 list, 2015 did mark a downward trend in the number of complaints fielded. The American Library Association (ALA) registered 311 complaints in 2014 and 307 in 2013. The average number of complaints lodged generally falls between 300 and 600 per year.
Why was the holy book challenged? According to the ALA, “religious viewpoint” was the only reason cited. But that isn’t necessarily the only issue some people have with the Bible sitting on school library shelves more so in the western world.
While the Bible ranked at No. 6 on the list, most of the other books were objected to because of sexually explicit content, or because of having an LGBT theme.
The LA Times released the full list, which includes: Looking for Alaska by John Green at the very top, due to its sexually explicit nature. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James came in at second for the same reasons, while books such as I am Jazz, Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, and Two Boys Kissing focused on LGBT themes.
The association clarified, however, that the list of challenged books is not comprehensive, and offers only a snapshot of reports.
“[T]he Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books list should be seen as a snapshot of the reports [the Office for Intellectual Freedom] receives and not an exhaustive report,” it said.
“[S]surveys indicate up to 85 percent of book challenges receive no media attention and remain unreported.”
Some evangelical voices, such as Creation Museum CEO and President Ken Ham, have suggested that due to the rising tide of secularism across the Western world, it might not be long before the Bible is publicly banned.
It is worth noting that the Quran has also been challenged, but not as many times as the Bible, according to the team that organizes the annual Banned Books Week.
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editor@ugchristiannews.com – Photo – Man holding Bible speaks during anti-homosexuality rally in Kamapala, Uganda 2/14/10. Photo by AFP/Getty Images.
