Though Britain was once an extremely Christian country, with the Victorians being known above almost all else for their strict sense of Christian morality, its young people are now starting to lean in favor of going so far as to ban the Bible over so-called “hate speech” contained within it.
Evidence for that comes from a poll conducted by polling group Whitestone Insights. It asked 2,088 adults in the United Kingdom if they think that books should have hate speech edited out of them and, if it cannot be, then if the book should be banned, making sure to note that religious text like the Bible are included.
Specifically, the statement with which the polled individuals were asked to agree or disagree stated, “Unless the offending parts can be edited out, books containing what some perceive as hate speech should be banned from general sale, including if necessary religious texts such as the Bible.”
The results were stunning. Young people, those aged 18 to 34, were most likely to agree with the statement; 23% of that demographic agreed that even books like the bible should be banned over hate speech. Middle-aged adults, those aged 35 to 54, were somewhat less likely to agree, with 17% agreeing that the Bible should be banned over hate speech. Older Brits were the least likely to agree, with only 13% doing so.
Lois McLatchie of the Alliance Defending Freedom UK expressed serious concern about the poll results during an appearance on GBNews, saying that Christianity is whithering away Britain and the Bible must be defended, saying, “We may no longer be a majority Christian population here in Britain. That’s even more reason to protect freedom of speech and belief for all.”
Continuing, she compared current censorship laws to Medieval blasphemy laws, saying, “Censoring one type of belief because it fails to fit with the dominant orthodoxy of our day is no better than imposing the illiberal blasphemy laws of the Middle Ages. We need a robust defence of religious freedom from those who craft our legislation and we need to educate the ‘be kind’ generation on the truly hateful consequences of censorship before this type of thinking creeps further into reality.”
The news on that stance toward the Bible from young people comes shortly after a professor at a Bible college in the U.K. who was fired for tweeting about homosexuality and the church filed suit against his former employer over his firing. That professor is Dr. Aaron Edwards was ousted from his position at Cliff College in Derbyshire, England. He took to X (formerly Twitter) to say, “Homosexuality is invading the Church” and that the issue is an important Biblical one because of the nature of sin and the need for Jesus as a savior.
In a statement about the tweet and his suit, he said, “Anyone concerned about academic freedom, Christian freedoms, and free speech should be deeply concerned by what has happened to me.” He continued, “The reaction to my tweet and the unjust treatment I have experienced by Cliff College and the Methodist Church in Britain completely illustrates the problem my tweet addressed.” He then added, “The tweet was not defamatory; it was not an attack on any colleague or individual; it was not abusive; and it was not an extremist religious view. It was addressed to evangelicals as a point of doctrine, and it has been misunderstood by many who wish to cause personal and institutional trouble for those who express that view.”
Concluding, he said, “The impact on me and my family has been very significant. I have lost many friends as a result, and been slandered by people who do not know all of the details but who now see me as an unkind or hateful person.”
"*" indicates required fields