FARMINGTON — The request that Davis School District officials review the Book of Mormon and possibly pull it from school libraries in the district stems from violence in its pages.

Someone associated with Kaysville Junior High in Kaysville asked district officials on June 2 to review the suitability of the book in school libraries, according to information from the request. Davis School District on Friday provided the Standard-Examiner with a redacted version of the request, without the petitioner’s name and other identifying information, in response to a public records query.

“The book is very violent. Nephi cuts off Laban’s head and his brothers are constantly beating him up,” reads the review request. It goes on: “I don’t want my child reading about murder, rape and torture or learning that it is okay to murder somebody if God tells them to (Nephi).”

The Book of Mormon is holy scripture to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It comes from records on gold plates translated by Joseph Smith that are said to recount “God’s dealings with ancient inhabitants of the Americas,” as the book reads.

The request focused on the Book of Mormon cites specific sections that describe violence. “The Nephites and Lamanites torture and murder each other. There is also burning people at the stake (Abinadi) and forced cannibalism (Moroni 9),” according to the request.

It also cites sexual references. “There is also sex and visiting prostitutes. While this is framed as a sin, it is still mentioned. Further, the Lamanite women are kidnapped and raped in Mosiah 20,” it reads.

The request to review the Book of Mormon came in the wake of news that a Davis School District book review committee had pulled the King James Version of the Bible from junior high and elementary schools due to “vulgarity or violence” in the book. The Bible decision, which stemmed from a challenge by a Davis High School parent regarding its suitability in school libraries, has been appealed by someone who thinks the religious book should remain on shelves.

The Davis School District “sensitive materials” policy — which governs the suitability of books in school libraries — has become a lightning rod of controversy and attention stemming from the Bible decision and now the Book of Mormon review request. The parent who challenged the Bible did so seemingly as an attack on House Bill 374 and as a repudiation of earlier decisions by Davis school officials to remove books under the policy.

House Bill 374, approved by lawmakers in 2022, aims to keep sexually explicit materials out of schools, and Davis School District officials last year crafted the new book policy in response, like school systems around the state. The new Davis School District policy — which has spurred 101 book review requests so far — focuses on sexually explicit material, but also identifies “vulgarity and violence” as grounds to pull a book.

The varied school policies and state laws governing books in schools contain provisions instructing reviewers to balance sexual content and violence with the value of the books stemming from their literary, artistic and cultural attributes, among others.

The Book of Mormon will be reviewed by a committee made up of three district educators and at least four parents, per district policy. The appeal of the decision on the Bible will be handled by three Davis school board members, who will make a recommendation to the full school board, which will make the final decision.

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