Atheist Group to Distribute Image of Cartoon Bible Sexually Assaulting Woman

A bible sits open in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, April 1, 2005. (Photo: Reuters/Brian Snyder)

An atheist group is reportedly planning to distribute pamphlets to high school students that show an image of a Bible sexually assaulting a woman on its cover.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation said in a press release on its website that it plans to distribute the pamphlet, along with several other atheist-themed books, at high schools in Orange County, Florida this coming January.

The title of the pamphlet being handed out by the atheist group is "An X-Rated Book: Sex & Obscenity in the Bible." The illustration on the cover of the pamphlet shows a Bible with legs, arms and a malicious face standing behind a shocked woman. The Bible's "arm" is going up the woman's dress.

As the atheist group says in its press release, it is now able to distribute the pamphlet, along with other atheist materials, in Orange County high schools after it filed a lawsuit against the school district for banning the atheist literature. The school district then allowed the atheist literature to be distributed, and the lawsuit was dismissed as moot.

"Satanists can distribute their literature, Muslims can distribute the Quran and atheists can distribute books that criticize religion," FFRF Staff Attorney Andrew Seidel said in a statement.

David Williamson, leader of the Central Florida Freethought Community, added: "We intend to give out a lot more literature to educate students about atheism and the importance of keeping religion out of public schools. We are even designing new materials specifically for students and families in Orange County."

Seidel told CNS News that in defense of the pamphlets, he thinks the Bible is more lewd than the illustration.

"I think if you look at the content of that brochure and what is actually in the Bible, and some of the things that are in the Bible in terms of sex and compare that to the cover [of the pamphlet], the cover is pretty tame compared to anything that is in the Bible," Seidel said.