Is the Bible Indictable? : Being an Enquiry whether the Bible Comes within the Ruling of the Lord Chief Justice as to Obscene Literature

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Besant, Annie, 1847-1933

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"Is the Bible Indictable?" by Annie Besant is an inquiry published in the late 19th century that examines whether the Bible can be classified as obscene literature based on legal rulings. This work falls into the category of a critical essay, blending legal analysis with moral philosophy to challenge the perception of the Bible's contents in relation to obscenity laws. The central topic posits that, under contemporary legal interpretations, the Bible may be indictable due to its inclusion of passages that can be deemed as coercive or immoral. In this provocative text, Besant engages with historical legal frameworks while dissecting various biblical passages she argues could corrupt the morals of readers, particularly the youth. By referencing past court rulings, she contends that numerous narratives within the Bible, often celebrated as sacred, contain coarse and morally questionable content that might warrant prosecution. Throughout the examination, she highlights the disparity in legal scrutiny between expensive, "respectable" works and inexpensive, widely circulated literature, questioning the socio-economic biases inherent in the law. Ultimately, her argument advocates for a reevaluation of both the legal standards concerning obscenity and the societal implications of censorship, particularly regarding the Bible itself. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

Produced by Chris Curnow, Jana Srna and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)

Notes:

Reading ease score: 68.4 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.

Release date is 2011-12-11