Summary
Rightwing groups across the US are driving a wave of legislation to restrict books in school and public libraries, targeting content deemed “sexually explicit” or “obscene,” often affecting LGBTQ+ and race-related titles.
Texas leads with 31 bills and 538 book bans in the 2023–24 school year.
Proposed laws, like Texas Senate Bill 13, shift book selection power from librarians to parent-led advisory boards.
Critics, including librarians and legal scholars, warn these efforts amount to censorship, risk violating First Amendment rights, and reduce access in underserved communities.
Definitely not the Bible, which tells women to be subservient to their husbands and enslaved people to obey their masters. I am utterly uninterested in the moral lessons of a book written by people who endorse debt slavery. Which, I guess still needs to be pointed out, is bad! Even if it’s “only” 7 years!
I understand your position, but I respectfully urge you to study more history, all modern western ideas of universal human rights are based on or heavily influenced by the Bible. Dominion by Tom Holland, despite the terrible name, is a good source on the subject.
Also, sure, we are partially past it, but considering that until 300 years ago almost everybody considered slavery a natural right, a 3000 years old law limiting servitude to 7 years is VERY progressive.
You are not convincing my queer trans ass there is anything worth studying in there to guide people morally. I had that inflicted on me for the first two decades of my life and literally have PTSD from it.
The history can be interesting, and it’s something people accomplished in spite of what is in that book, not because of it.
I’m really sorry you went through that, I hope you can find healing.
I imagine it’s not much, and you don’t have any reason to believe me, but because of it I wouldn’t hesitate in protecting you in these dangerous times.
I believe you, I just think the average person doesn’t realize how damaging the Bible can be, especially taken literally. The use for it as a moral guide has long since been overtaken by philosophies like humanism, the same way that precise brain surgeries have eclipsed the trepanation practiced in the Neolithic.
The equality of women is indeed a point where the bible failed, but you can’t do everything right at once. I’m not a fan of the bible, but in it’s days, it was a good book that taught good values. Values that were better than society was at the time and it really improved society.