Florida Atheist Uses State's New Book-Banning Law To Object To The Bible

A new law in Florida makes it easier for parents, residents and others to object to books and other materials in school and seek to have them removed. That inspired an atheist in the Sunshine State to send letters to 63 school districts requesting the removal of the Bible.

Chaz Stevens, a self-described “stunt activist,” is objecting to the book’s depictions of rape, cannibalism, bestiality and more.

“Is this the message we want to teach our children? If you rape a woman, the father has to give you 50 silver pieces?” he asked in one of the letters cited by Patch Miami.

“As the Bible casually references (i.e. Matthew 15:19) such topics as murder, adultery, sexual immorality and fornication ... do we really want to teach our youth about drunken orgies?” he added.

Stevens’ past activism has included erecting a Festivus pole at the Florida Capitol and launching a petition to open various municipal meetings with a satanic invocation unless lawmakers drop their opening prayers.

Last month, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a measure into law banning schools from using any book deemed “pornographic” or “inappropriate for the grade level and age group for which the material is used.” The law also allows parents and others to object to books and other materials.

But Stevens is trying to use that law in ways the conservative lawmakers who passed it almost certainly never intended.

“If they’re gonna ban books, then the whole library should be in play. My hope — and it’s a long shot — is that they will apply their own standards to themselves and ban the Bible,” Stevens told Miami New Times.

He admits it’s an uphill battle.

“I don’t have the votes,” Stevens told NPR. “My job is merely to turn hypocrisy on itself and let the bureaucrats eat each other for lunch.”

Stevens said on Twitter he’s working on a web-based app that would generate a PDF to help anyone send a letter to their school district requesting a ban on the Bible.