When discussions about pornography come up, there is never any mention of the corresponding 'romance' industry, which worldwide is actually bigger than the pornography industry.

The romance industry, while subject to the same consumerist ethic that drives the pornography industry, does anchor its eroticism in the concept of romantic love. And, while it does give women an unrealistic view of heterosexual relationships, it does treat eroticism as being part of an emotional bond. Lady Chatterley's Lover is really a work of romantic fiction, not pornography.

It's a pity that men don't read more romantic fiction. They'd learn a lot.

.

Dear Peter,

.

You wrote :

« Lady Chatterley's Lover was banned because it was obscene, a category that we no longer understand, certainly as regards sex »
.

I understand your disappointment on reading Lady Chatterley's Lover. If you’re looking for something a little more spicy, a little more transgressive, allow me to suggest that you take a look at some of the more juicy passages of the bible. They are so much more spicy because the bible clearly indicates that incestuous and a number of other sexual relations are strictly forbidden (Leviticus 18:6-16; 20, 17 and Deuteronomy 27, 22-23).

There are several cases of incest, some of which do not give rise to any form of moral disapproval :

It seems that Noah may have been homosexually raped by one of his sons during a drunken sleep. This is the interpretation given by the Talmud of Genesis 9:20-25:

http://www.thisisyourbible.com/index.php?page=questions&task=show&mediaid=423

Abraham married his half-sister, Sarah (Genesis 20:12). The daughters of Lot had an incestuous relation with their father after having made him drunk (Genesis 19,30-38) :

http://www.religioustolerance.org/chrincest.htm

Amnon sexually abused his half-sister, Tamar, the daughter of David (2 Samuel 13, 1-39) :

http://www.biblicaltheology.com/2sa/2sa_13_01.html

Then, of course, there is the story of Adam and Eve (who was made from a rib of Adam) making love together, and their subsequent progeny doing likewise (incestuous sons and sisters) who ultimately produced us all … including you and me.

It’s quite amazing, as you say, that « Lawrence's novel Lady Chatterley's Lover (which you qualify as “the opposite of pornography”) was banned in Britain and Australia after its publication in Paris in 1928 and in Australia was only released from that ban in 1965 The novel was at the centre of obscenity trials all over the world »

Lady Chatterley's Lover was, of course a work of fiction, whereas the bible is purportedly a work of non-fiction. Curiously, the bible, which is a far more sexually transgressive work, has never been banned in Britain or Australia or anywhere else for that matter.

Even children are encouraged to read it !

.

Dear Banjo Paterson,

The Bible has been banned.

http://aloha.net/~mikesch/banned.htm tells how the Bible was banned by the Catholic Church.

Bibles have been banned in Saudi Arabia and many other countries. When I was working for Philips, the Dutch electronics firm, we got a request from the Saudi government to design a device that would detect liquor, pornography, weapons and the Bible.

.

Thanks David,

.

I found this on the web :

« Regrettably, there are many countries with legal or customary restrictions on the Bible. While a total ban is comparatively rare (e.g., North Korea punishes any possession of religious literature by death or imprisonment), it is more common for ownership or distribution to be limited:

• To certain government-approved groups only. For example, China allows distribution of Bibles for churches or seminaries that are part of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement / China Christian Council, and they are sold in some bookshops, but cannot generally be mail-ordered by individuals or unregistered churches. Several other nations require government approval before religious books (or any books) can be printed.

• To foreigners only. Maldives says citizens must be Muslim, and foreigners are allowed to practice their religion in private; Bibles can be imported for personal use.

• In certain languages only. Morocco allows Bibles in French, English, and Spanish, but not Arabic.

• Can't publish, but can import. Turkmenistan does not allow publication of Bibles. They can be imported, in limited numbers and with permission, by registered churches.

• Restrictions on attempts to convert members of other religions may also result in de facto bans on Bibles. Similarly, government actions in the name of "public order" may have the same effect, even if there is no law specifically banning Bible publication or ownership. In several cases, effective bans on religious freedom take place despite supposed constitutional guarantees to the contrary. Experiences may vary in different parts of the same country, or at different times.

So "illegal" is perhaps the wrong word, and we should instead be thinking of "Can anyone easily obtain a Bible in this country without attracting official difficulties?". Any such list will have fuzzy edges, of course. One indicator might be the ease with which Bible societies are able to do their work. They are organized groups with a missionary element and so the bar is higher for them than for private individuals. » :

http://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/9351/in-what-countries-is-it-illegal-to-own-a-bible-the-most-banned-book-in-the-worl

Censorship of the bible is probably due more to religion than sex.

.

Dear Banjo Paterson,

I object to banning of any sort of book. However, I think restrictions on unwanted advertising of a questionable product is warranted. Therefore it is legitimate to control missionary activity.

Banjo Patterson, thanks for those interesting bible passages.
They make the 'scandalous' book Lady Chatterley's Lover' seem like a stroll in the park!

I have to agree that the novel was more to do with romance than sex, and the saucy bits just added to the excitement of it all. I really enjoyed the book and didn't think it was pornographic at all.