May 18 2007
Should the Bible get an NC 17 Rating?
[From Yahoo News]
More than 800 Hong Kong residents have called on authorities to reclassify the Bible as “indecent” due to its sexual and violent content, following an uproar over a sex column in a university student journal.
The complaints follow the launch of an anonymous Web site — www.truthbible.net — which said the holy book “made one tremble” given its sexual and violent content, including rape and incest.
Read about it here.
[From me]
There is no doubt there are difficult subjects mentioned in the Bible. But the Bible does not condone bad behavior. It talks about real people whose lives have been transformed by God. It has helped shape my life and I read it daily. I’m sure there are some people who would like to censor the Bible here in the US.
What do you think?
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20 responses so far
Well, God certainly condoned the rotten behaviour of Abraham ( the prostitution of his incestuous wife) by rewarding him, and punishing the innocent Pharoah.
God seemed to turn a blind eye to the antics of many of his favourites
The Japanese Government in the 19th century also considered the Bible to be indecent, and likely to injure the morals of the population.
I agree with the Chinese, it’s hard to read the Bible without shuddering at its unspeakable atrocities.
Great story, Kevin. If the Bible were a movie, would it be NC-17? I guess it depends on the screenwriter and director. Oh man, I want to see Cronenberg’s version. I think I’ll pass on Tarantino’s Passion though…
The first time I read the whole Bible there were quite a few stories where I thought, “Wow, they didn’t teach us this in Sunday School!”
The Bible is a thoroughly honest book and details the failings of those it describes. There is sex, murder and mayhem at times, just like in the world today.
Francoise - re. the “blind eye” - don’t worry, God leaves no sin unpunished.
Thank goodness there wasn’t any smoking in the Bible. That could get it an “R”!
Kevin,
It might turn out to be a blessing in the end. If you give it a high rating, the chances are more people will by it. It like the movies. Take a G rated movie and add one bad word to get it rated PG and more people pay to watch it. It appeals to the total depravit of man.
I find it sad and almost comical that those who judge the Bible as immoral (as Francoise seems to) are usually those who don’t believe in God or any religious book. Therefore, they have no basis for the morality they are defending. It’s just subjective opinion. Only with the Holy Spirt and the Word of God providing the moral compass in your life can you adequately understand and interpret the Scriptures.
I meant “buy” it. Sorry
That’s funny Bob.
The first time I “really” read about David dancing in front of the Ark as it was being brought home and understood his “manhood” was exposed, in public… as he danced with all his might, I thought about how that was even beyond what my friends the Red Hot Chili Peppers are most famous for. Anthony and Flea at least wore a tube sock on their “stuff.”
I love the bible.
Interesting concept. As I understand it, for centuries, Rabbis did not let men read the Song of Solomon until they were both 30 years old AND safely married, due to it’s pornographic details in the original Hebrew.
I guess that would be like that rating.
It’s not an unreasonable point. The Bible is full of creepy things that we’d be up in arms about if it were in a mainstream movie or television show.
The average Christian is unfamiliar enough with the Bible that they can’t conceive of the truly uncomfortable passages.
I’m not prepared to say that all of the troubling texts are stories about people who have been transformed.
We censor the bible all the time. The ratings are susposed to be to protect people from things they aren’t really ready for. I remember being shocked when people were taking there 1st and 2nd graders to see The Passion. Many of these were the same people who would tell you not to go see any of the vast war movies. There are scenes/stories in the bible I wouldn’t want to hear read in Sunday worship just as I wouldn’t want to watch Indecent Proposal with my church. Even though it does impact lives, I think being responsible means to censor it for some or for some time.
The story of God is not G-rated. They’re right- it’s full of sex, death, and bloody conflict. It’s also a story of hope and redemption. It runs the full gambit. But let’s not kid ourselves. When was the last time you taught the true meaning of the Song of Solomon at your church from the pulpit?
Joe,
Good point. But I don’t know if S of S is appropriate for a service with children & teens with hormones raging. At a couples Bible study or marriage seminar- I’m good with that.
Well, if you realize the Song of Solomon is God’s love song to us, then it becomes an even more amazing layer of truth.
I would agree the bible is not G or even PG rated. I think that should say something to legalists, who teach a gospel that isn’t good news.
We don’t even need to limit ourselves to the Song of Songs.
I’ve never been a part of a youth ministry yet that didn’t focus on Proverbs, which is loaded with sex talk. The only thing tougher than reading some of these frank passages on sex is listening to some preacher try to talk about them at a couples retreat or marriage enrichment thing…. creepy.
Verse for verse, I’d be willing to wager that Judges is one of the bloodiest and frankly disturbing books in the canon. The rest of the history texts, Samuel through Chronicles are full of disconcerting things that would carry a greater than R rating. (Incidently things we would preach against from now on and lead boycotts and letter writing campaigns against if it was on TV).
The problem with the Bible, especially in the old testament, is that the stories collide with our notions of truth, philosophy, theology, etc. We censor the text all the time anyway and muzzle it when it doesn’t fit our theology. A ratings system would at least be honest about what a dangerous book it is.
I believe that back in the 1940s, there was a spate of “Bible-inspired murders” in the USA. Apparently the authorities always searched the suspect’s belongings looking for a Bible. Or sometimes, the killers claimed that God had ordered them to read up on the OT’s atrocites, and do likewise. Scary stuff.
MIT, my Jewish husband and I like the Somg of Solomon so much that we used it for our marriage ceremony- wonderfully erotic and inspiring stuff for the honeymoon
Wow! I can’t believe all the uproar over a history book. This particular history book was specific to the relationship between God and certain people and/or people groups. That doesn’t make it any the less history. And itâs ancient history to boot. My goodness, this was the Bronze Age for crying out loud.
If you look in your newspaper today you’ll find history just as horrible and probably even more so. Just look at what’s been happening in Iraq.
One of the most regrettable times in the history of the world was the Civil War here in the US. Despicable things happened. That doesn’t mean that we take all references to this part of history out of our schools or identify it as PG or some other rating. We realize that history should teach us something about the horrors of war and slavery, etc. Unfortunately, these history classes don’t do the kind of job that we would hope they would. Nor does the history in the Bible do the job that I’m sure God intended for it to do. We humans still kill and rape and pillage our way through time without a thought to how it will look in a history book or affect the people we are destroying.
I could go on but this diatribe is too long as it is. Just read the Book as it was intended â a love story between God and His rebellious creation.
Jerald,
Thanks for stopping by. I agree with your assessment the Bible is God’s story for us.
Chris –
And exactly how is that different than deciding to believe what a guy in a robe says an invisible man says? Oh yes, there was thought involved. But, both are completely subjective. How else can you explain moral conflict among the faithful? If morality was objective, this would never happen. (Lemme guess. “Imperfect humans interpreting perfect morals.” *smacks forehead*)
It might be comforting to think that you and everyone else you like to think of as your people are all following a perfectly monolithic set of morals, but that’s just a pretty story you tell yourself, and you must know it on some level. It’s also tribalism.
Jerald –
I can’t believe all the uproar over a poetry book. But history? If the Bible is a history book, than so is the Odyssey, not to mention Gone with the Wind.
Perhaps He could have said His Story.
Geek,
Good point on the tribalism. You’ve got your thumb right in the place that fundamentalism of any stripe breaks down.
The Bible is significantly different than the Odyssey or Gone with the Wind and I think the comparison breaks down. The Bible is an anthology with many different voices over a much longer period of time. It also appears to be written with a different purpose. Lots of it just isn’t poetry, even though I would agree that significant parts of it read like an epic.