A Russian citizen is asking his local district attorney to review the content of the Bible in accordance with a federal law meant to protect children from "harmful information."
The citizen, a resident of the Novosibirsk oblast, said that he found phrases in the scripture that break the law, according to Sib.
"In the appeal, the citizen lists certain quotations from the Scripture and asks to evaluate their compliance with the federal law, ‘On the Protection of Children from Information Harmful to their Health and Development.’" Novosibirsk oblast press secretary Dmitry Lyamkin said.
The citizen is mocking the Protection of Children from Negative and Harmful Information Act, which allows the Russian government to ban "information that might cause fear, anger, or panic; justify violence and unlawful behavior; or cause a desire to use drugs, alcohol, or otherwise harm one's health."
"The point is not to ban the book. It is much more interesting to show the absurdity of the law itself," he said. The law has led to the censorship of books, movies, and magazines, and was amended in 2013 to include a ban on "promoting non-traditional sexual relations."
The appeal lists several quotations from the Bible that could be in violation of the law, including Genesis 6:13, Genesis 16:2, and Genesis 22:2. It also details how each verse violates the law.
For example, Genesis 19:31-32, the story of Lot and his daughters: " Then the firstborn said to the younger, ‘Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to sleep with us as is the custom of all the land. Come, let’s get our father to drink wine so that we can sleep with him and preserve our father’s line.’"
The appeal claims the scene "denies family values and generates disrespect to parents," "evokes the desire to use …alcohol products," and "affirms unlawful conduct."
Prosecutor Igor Stasiulus is currently reviewing the claim, according to TASS. In February, Stasiulus reviewed a complaint that claimed that the "Tannhauser" opera in Novosibirsk offended the feelings of religious believers.