More than 2,300 Hong Kong residents protest the Bible as indecent

dpa German Press Agency Published: Friday May 18, 2007

Hong Kong- More than 2,300 Hong Kong residents have lodged
complaints about indecent and sexually explicit material in the Bible
in a bizarre campaign to restrict sales of the Christian holy book.
Hong Kong's publications watchdog has received an avalanche of
complaints about tales of incest, rape, cannibalism and violence in
the Bible since the website truthbible.net began urging people to
file complaints.

However, the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority said
it will not act on the complaints as it considers the Bible to be "a
religious text, which is part of civilization."

Now the website says it may raise the issue with Hong Kong's
public ombudsman on the grounds that the "abnormal sex and violence"
described in the Bible is at odds with the moral standards of people
in the former British colony.

If the campaign succeeds, the Bible could technically have its
sales restricted in Hong Kong in the same way that pornographic
magazines must be sold in sealed packages and to only those over age
18. The motive for the campaign is unclear.

The number of complaints lodged against the Bible with the
licensing authority is the highest received since a magazine last
year ran pictures of a semi-naked female pop star changing backstage
at a concert in Malaysia.

Hong Kong, which has a population of 6.9 million people, is home
to around 250,000 Catholics, including Beijing-appointed chief
executive Donald Tsang, and around 60,000 Anglican Christians.

© 2006 - dpa German Press Agency

Comment Here