About the Author and the Text

In an article in the July 1994 issue of CHRISTIAN ENGINEERING QUARTERLY, Miss Dixon spoke of her work, "It is an absurd idea to ban the Bible because portions of it contain graphic violence and instances of sexual behavior. In spite of these verses this book has been of comfort to a number of people, at many times a persecuted minority. People have died for this book and the right to the free distribution of ideas.

"It is equally absurd to ban pornography. And of special concern are attempts by right-wing school boards to ban literature that deals with sex, violence or secular issues from school libraries. In both of these cases passages are taken from a work and viewed without the benefit of their context, just as I have done with the NC-17 BIBLE."

The context, and the community from which a work of text or image comes from, has much to do with the overall meaning of the work. Someone unfamiliar with the Bible, reading the NC-17 BIBLE, might think the Bible to be the foulest piece of smut ever published. A Christian, familiar with the whole book would see it differently. So it is with secular literature and pornography.

In terms of pornographic texts and images, these are but a part of the lives of the people that partake of them. For people of sexual minorities these works are a great comfort as well as a sexual turnon. It means a great deal to know that one is not alone, that others share your consentual interests. At the time of the early church Christians were few and reviled. They were killed for the right to assemble and share their ideas and their faith. And Christianity is an ecstatic, passionate faith. While it might be tempting to protect young minds from these ideas, remember, if they really want sex and violence they can find it in the Bible.

PostFundamentalist Press does NOT support censorship. The NC-17 BIBLE is used to make the point that if we ban works because of questionable, violent or sexual content we have to begin with the Bible. And in terms of inciting acts of violence or abuse, the Bible has been responsible for more deaths throughout history than any other single work of literature. It's what the reader brings to a work that creates meaning, not what s/he takes away. Jesus himself said, "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man." Matthew 15:11

PostFundamentalist Press thanks Miss Dixon for the right to reprint the NC-17 BIBLE. Miss Dixon can be reached by e-mail at dixon@postfun.com.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ma Dixon, circa 1975
"Train up a child in the way she should go: and when she is old, she will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6