This is One of the Most Banned Books in the Entire World
You can probably guess what it is

It’s just over a week until Banned Books Week in the United States, the annual celebration of our freedom to read. I have written about both Banned Books Week and the accelerating efforts to ban books from our schools and libraries multiple times in the past, and I will continue to do so as long as this blatant assault on one of our most basic and cherished freedoms continues.
In those earlier articles, however, I only made passing reference to a book that is quite possibly the most-often banned, not in the United States (though it is regularly challenged here) but in the entire world. Throughout history, it has been suppressed, banned, and even burned across the globe. You’ve probably guessed already that I’m talking about the Bible. The issue is summed up pretty well with this quote:
“Well, the man who first translated the Bible into English was burned at the stake, and they’ve been at it ever since.” — Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, author of the Alice series
I have written before that totally apart from its obvious religious context, the Bible is one of the foundational works of Western thought, culture, and literature. It is impossible to understand many aspects of Western civilization and many references in Western literature, music, and film without some knowledge of the Bible.
You rarely hear about the Koran, the writings of the Buddha, or the Upanishads being banned, but you do hear about it with the Bible. In fact, as recently as 2015, the ALA reports that Bible was one of the top ten most-challenged books in America (it ranked #6 that year). The reason most often cited was, ironically, religious viewpoint (this happened just last year in, you guessed it, a school district in Texas). But as troubling as this or any banning of books is, the challenges to the Bible in public libraries and schools in the United States pales in comparison to restrictions placed on the Bible in other parts of the world. Let’s look at just a few examples.
In North Korea, possession of a Bible is punishable by death or imprisonment. One truly heartbreaking incident was recounted on the website of the humanitarian organization World Help by its founder and president, Vernon Brewer. He told of a case involving a girl named Eun, whose third-grade teacher gave the class a special assignment. They were to go home and look for a book which the teacher described this way:
“Normally, it’s black. Normally it’s hidden. Normally it’s the book your mom or dad read when you sleep. Normally it’s hidden in the closet or the drawer or somewhere that’s not reachable, but if you look hard enough, you can find this book. And, if you bring it, we will honor you.”
Eun went home that afternoon and after much searching found the book. She brought her parents’ Bible to school the next day and received a red scarf as a reward. When she returned home, her parents were gone, having been arrested while she was at school. She learned the next day that the parents of 14 other students also hadn’t come home the night before. This happened in the 1980s, and if you’ve paid attention to the news, you know life in North Korea has not improved in the subsequent decades.
In other countries the censorship is equally extreme. In Morocco, Bibles are allowed in French, English, and Spanish but not in Arabic; Arabic is the official language of the country and is read and spoken by the vast majority of the population. In Maldives, which requires that all citizens be Muslim, Bibles are restricted to foreigners living in the country; it is illegal for a citizen to own one. Turkmenistan outright prohibits the publication of Bibles; they can only be imported by the few registered churches in limited quantities with state permission. It is also illegal to own or distribute Bibles in Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia, to name just a few.
You might think that in these countries where Bibles are restricted people could read one online (assuming they have the devices required to do so, which vast numbers do not), but many of these same nations and more restrict internet access in a way that makes even this nearly impossible. Some of those include Belarus, China, Cuba, Iran, Libya, Maldives, Myanmar, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
I realize that many of these are Muslim countries where Islam is not only the state religion but also the basis for their laws and government, making the banning of the Bible wrong but not completely surprising; too often we forget that the freedoms we have in America are not universal. Yet I find it ironic that while the governments of these nations prohibit the Bible in their own countries, they demand that their citizens abroad not only be allowed to have access to the Koran but also have the freedom to convert people there to Islam while at home conversion from Islam is prohibited. You can’t have it both ways, but that’s a discussion for another day.
I also realize that in America, a person’s view of and experience with far too many Christians (especially over the past few decades) can cause them to reject the book Christians embrace. Though they might never say it out loud, many in America today have reached the point of not caring if the Bible is banned. This is tragic, because as I said earlier the Bible is far more than just a religious text.
My hope is that during Banned Books Week (which starts October 1st) and beyond, as you are supporting the right to read challenged or banned books ranging from classic literature (schools are banning Fahrenheit 451, for crying out loud) to the latest novel with even a hint of LGBTQ content or the mere mention of race (these scare the hell out of legislators in Texas and Florida), take a moment to remember and speak out for those around the world who have been denied access to the Bible as well. Even if you are vehemently opposed to the Bible, defending the right of others to read it defends your right to read the things you care about at the same time.
As a closing thought, if you have never read the Bible for whatever reason, let me recommend reading the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts (they are separated in the Bible by the Gospel of John, but should not be; they constitute a two-volume work by the same author). The two together give a solid account of both the life of Jesus, the early church, and what Christianity is supposed to be. Maybe get some of your Christian friends to read those again, too.
Keep on reading.
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