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If We’re Banning Books, Why Not the Bible?
As a response to a recent wave of book banning, Chaz Stevens wants to ban the Bible. He might have a point.
Banning books in the US isn’t new. As far back 1637, well before US independence, the Puritans banned the book New English Canaan. Written by Thomas Morton, a minor-celebrity activist with a particular interest in protecting Native Americans, his 3 volume book caused outrage among the Puritanical governments for its criticism of their methods, ideology, and harsh treatment of the local native tribes. It’s quite possible this was the first banned book in the New World, and in fact, great efforts were made to find and destroy it because it criticized and threatened local power structures, though a few survived in the Netherlands and was reprinted in 1883.
In the nearly 400 years since the first book was banned in the US, it seems not much has changed. The modern effort to ban books has been spearheaded by a handful of people who believe they have the moral high ground. For example, since the 1970s, Jerry Falwell has led, organized, and funded numerous book banning campaigns on both local and national scenes to, in his words, bring the country “back to basics, back to values, back to biblical morality, back to sensibility, and back to patriotism.” Falwell’s influence…
