# Is the Bible actually illegal anywhere? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 26, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-actually-illegal-anywhere/635885 "2012-09-26T14:28:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-actually-illegal-anywhere/635885/21 "2012-09-27T16:51:13Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > According to [this](http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/23845/article_122214.html/) it is illegal in the Maldives. > > That article talks about laws against converting people away from Islam, but the subject was arrested for owning a bible in his home. No, AFAICT, while the Bible possession may have been what realistically **motivated** his arrest and deportation, what he was **nominally** charged with and deported for was “preaching his Christian faith”. Mind you, I don’t see any evidence that the guy **was** actually preaching Christianity. But it seems that they said he was because _mere Bible ownership in and of itself is technically not illegal in the Maldives_. Likewise, your linked article about Uzbekistan says > [@](#): > > The appeals court in Tashkent ordered the Christian Baptist Galina Shemetova to a fine of 2,486,750 som (about 1,015 euros, 50 times the minimum monthly pay) for having given a children’s Bible to a colleague. For this reason she is accused of proselytizing. So it seems that the reality is that the authorities indeed do not like it when you own a Bible, but since mere ownership of a Bible is not against the law, they have to charge you with something like proselytizing or illegally trading in Bibles or something of the sort. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-actually-illegal-anywhere/635885/22 "2012-09-27T17:35:26Z")
From the Wikipedia article: > [@](#): > > The hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church did not approve of some of the words and phrases introduced by Tyndale, such as “overseer”, where the it would have understood as “bishop,” “elder” for “priest,” and “love” rather than “charity.” Tyndale, citing Erasmus, contended that the Greek New Testament did not support the traditional Roman Catholic readings. More controversially, Tyndale translated the Greek “ekklesia,” (literally “called out ones”[39]) as “congregation” rather than “Church.”[40] It has been asserted this translation choice “was a direct threat to the Church’s ancient—but so Tyndale here made clear, non-scriptural—claim to be the body of Christ on earth. To change these words was to strip the Church hierarchy of its pretensions to be Christ’s terrestrial representative, and to award this honour to individual worshipers who made up each congregation.”[40] So part of the issue was what slant the choice of words put on the meaning, when translated. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-actually-illegal-anywhere/635885/23 "2012-09-27T20:30:09Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > No, AFAICT, while the Bible possession may have been what realistically **motivated** his arrest and deportation, what he was **nominally** charged with and deported for was “preaching his Christian faith”. > > Mind you, I don’t see any evidence that the guy **was** actually preaching Christianity. But it seems that they said he was because _mere Bible ownership in and of itself is technically not illegal in the Maldives_. > > Likewise, your linked article about Uzbekistan says > > So it seems that the reality is that the authorities indeed do not like it when you own a Bible, but since mere ownership of a Bible is not against the law, they have to charge you with something like proselytizing or illegally trading in Bibles or something of the sort. This is where I have a problem. If posession of a Bible will likely get you charged with _something_ (even if it’s a trumped-up charge of insulting The Prophet or whatever), then it seems a bit disingenuous to say that posessing the Bible isn’t illegal. For all practical purposes, it is. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-actually-illegal-anywhere/635885/24 "2012-09-27T21:42:28Z")
Basically, it sounds like the authorities are using whatever trumped up charge they can find to get rid of troublemakers. The guy may have been prosletyzing, or he may have simply said “I believe in Jesus” to the wrong guy; or he may have pissed someone off in some other way and the charge is totally bogus. As I understand it, the bible was “proof” of the charge - he has a bible he must be preaching. Third-world courts have made greater leaps of logic when required to prove something. > **[Pakistani Police Absolve Christian Girl of Blasphemy Charges](https://www.christianpost.com/news/pakistani-police-absolve-christian-girl-of-blasphemy-charges-82062/)** > > A police investigator in Pakistan told a trial court Saturday there was no evidence that a minor Christian girl, believed to be mentally disabled, had desecrated Islam s holy book as her accusers had ... Some guys just seem to be annoyed by the concept of someone from a competing religion living nearby. However, this guy could be in deep doo-doo himself now for adding verses from the Koran to a pile of ashes. This does sound interesting, that others in his community think it is more important to speak out and implicate a religious cleric for evidence-tampering and possibly blasphemy himself, than let a Christian girl be convicted. I recall reading of a case in Iraq where a guy denounced his neighbour as terrorist to the Americans, because the neighbour was harassing him to pay back a loan. Both were Muslim s no religious motivation, but the neighbour was locked up in Abu Ghraib for a few years and the guy did not have to worry about the loan. People can be nasty all over the world; and someone with an axe to grind and better connections can be dangerous where laws are not honestly or fairly enforced. ---
**Author:** ![squirrel92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@squirrel92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squirrel92)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-actually-illegal-anywhere/635885/25 "2012-09-28T21:04:46Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Yeah, Bibles used to be illegal in some _Christian_ countries at certain periods. It’s not necessarily a fault belonging strictly to adherents of other religions – it’s more about authoritarianism and control. you can look up something like the persecuted church online and probley find a map on it. but there are countries out there(like india) that if you own a bible, or are found trying to learn it, or if you claim to believe in God, they will beat you to death. there are a couples of countries in that part of the world that are like that ---
**Author:** ![squirrel92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@squirrel92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squirrel92)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-actually-illegal-anywhere/635885/26 "2012-09-28T21:09:35Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Who? It the christians who believe in the fundamentals of the bible. just type it in an search engine ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-actually-illegal-anywhere/635885/27 "2012-09-28T21:55:26Z")
> [@squirrel92](#): > > you can look up something like the persecuted church online and probley find a map on it. but there are countries out there(like india) that if you own a bible, or are found trying to learn it, or if you claim to believe in God, they will beat you to death. there are a couples of countries in that part of the world that are like that Someone hurry and tell the 20 million Catholics that live in India that they’re in danger. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-actually-illegal-anywhere/635885/28 "2012-09-28T22:09:34Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > Someone hurry and tell the 20 million Catholics that live in India that they’re in danger. [Some of them might already know.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Christian_violence_in_India) Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-actually-illegal-anywhere/635885/29 "2012-09-30T22:05:06Z")
Since Muslims are prohibited from having bibles in Saudi Arabia and Non-Muslims are banned from Mecca, I’m pretty sure the bible is effectively banned in Mecca. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-actually-illegal-anywhere/635885/30 "2012-09-30T23:30:20Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > Since Muslims are prohibited from having bibles in Saudi Arabia and Non-Muslims are banned from Mecca, I’m pretty sure the bible is effectively banned in Mecca. So I take it that there is no equivalent to comparative theology class there? [I always enjoyed taking comp theology, fascinating. Didn’t make me want to convert to anything though.] Personally, I would take the point of view that if Allah was not strong enough to keep his followers, then he wasn’t that great as a deity. Same for any other deity floating around. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-actually-illegal-anywhere/635885/31 "2012-10-01T00:03:25Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > So I take it that there is no equivalent to comparative theology class there? [I always enjoyed taking comp theology, fascinating. Didn’t make me want to convert to anything though.] I don’t know, I’ve [started a thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=15542935) to get an answer. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-actually-illegal-anywhere/635885/32 "2012-10-01T09:29:56Z")
> [@squirrel92](#): > > you can look up something like the persecuted church online and probley find a map on it. but there are countries out there\*\*(like india)\*\* that if you own a bible, or are found trying to learn it, or if you claim to believe in God, they will beat you to death. there are a couples of countries in that part of the world that are like that (bolding mine) What in fucks name are you talking about? > [@Shodan](#): > > [Some of them might already know.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Christian_violence_in_India) > > Regards, > Shodan And are you actually trying to claim that India’s christian community feels threatened to the extent that “if you own a bible, or are found trying to learn it, or if you claim to believe in God, they will beat you to death.”? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-actually-illegal-anywhere/635885/33 "2012-10-01T12:12:41Z")
> [@bldysabba](#): > > (bolding mine) > What in fucks name are you talking about? > > And are you actually trying to claim that India’s christian community feels threatened to the extent that “if you own a bible, or are found trying to learn it, or if you claim to believe in God, they will beat you to death.”? Probably depends on what part of India you’re talking about. Areas that are mostly Hindu (which is most of India), yes they very well might feel that way. OTOH, in the “Seven Sisters” region (the part of India that’s separated from the rest by Bangladesh) there are a couple of smaller states that are actually majority Christian. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-actually-illegal-anywhere/635885/34 "2012-10-01T16:20:23Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Probably depends on what part of India you’re talking about. Areas that are mostly Hindu (which is most of India), yes they very well might feel that way. OTOH, in the “Seven Sisters” region (the part of India that’s separated from the rest by Bangladesh) there are a couple of smaller states that are actually majority Christian. Excuse my Hindi, but that’s bollocks. There are 24 million Christians in India. Barring isolated incidents which are played up by the fundies for (heh) fundraising, they live and practice their religion quite freely. What violence/fear exists is usually tied to politically motivated mass conversions or caste based tensions and is limited to a couple of states/areas within states. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-actually-illegal-anywhere/635885/35 "2012-10-01T16:24:37Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > This means it was illegal, like possessing a set of lock-picking tools. Possessing lock picking tools is illegal? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-actually-illegal-anywhere/635885/36 "2012-10-01T16:37:47Z")
> [@squirrel92](#): > > you can look up something like the persecuted church online and probley find a map on it. but there are countries out there(like india) that if you own a bible, or are found trying to learn it, or if you claim to believe in God, they will beat you to death. there are a couples of countries in that part of the world that are like that India has several million Christians; there’s areas which have had strong Christian populations for centuries (Goa is the name that comes to mind, but that’s logical since I grew up with St Francis Xavier all over the place). I don’t know whether you will have heard of Mother Theresa or Vicente Ferrer? To name two other Christian missionaries who spent a lot of time working there and most definitely did not get beaten to death (Ferrer I mean the one who’s a distant nephew of the saint of the same name, not the saint). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-actually-illegal-anywhere/635885.md?page=1)