English Literature students at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom have been warned: Scripture contains some “graphic bodily injury and sexual violence.” Specifically, the institution highlighted the Old Testament account of Cain killing Abel and the gospel accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion.
Other literary works also receive trigger warnings, the university explained. In a statement, it said that type of “content note is a standard academic tool used to signpost when sensitive or graphic content will be discussed.”
But critics called the move a form of censorship, saying it is “misguided” and “absurd” to label God’s Word as potentially triggering.
Bible Receives Trigger Warning from University of Sheffield
Under Freedom of Information laws, the Daily Mail obtained details about the University of Sheffield’s warning about the Bible. The school emphasized that the purpose of such a warning “is to ensure subjects can be highlighted and discussed openly and critically, while preparing students who might find such details difficult.”
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The warning about the account of Cain and Abel is puzzling, some people said, because Scripture doesn’t describe that murder. And trigger warnings about the crucifixion and death of Jesus make no sense contextually, according to Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre. She said:
Applying trigger warnings to salvation narratives that have shaped our civilization is not only misguided but absurd. Singling out the Bible in this way is discriminatory and deeply ill-informed. To suggest that the crucifixion story involves “sexual violence” is not just inaccurate, it’s a profound misreading of the text. The account of Jesus’ death is not a tale of trauma; it is the ultimate expression of love, sacrifice, and redemption, central to the Christian faith.
Other people noted that the biblical crucifixion account is rather “restrained,” especially compared to modern film representations such as “The Passion of the Christ.” Monsignor Michael Nazir-Ali, a former Anglican Bishop who is now Catholic, said, “Students have to be exposed to what is unpleasant and frightening so they can learn to deal with that.”
English Literature students at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom have been warned: Scripture contains some “graphic bodily injury and sexual violence.”Click to PostAnything related to “morality” doesn’t need a trigger warning, said author Jeremy Black. “Biblical and classical narratives oppose good and evil, in the cosmos, in society and within individuals,” he explained. “These struggles are elemental and fundamental…Students need to be exposed to the power of the texts, their uncompromising character, and the violence of the passage into redemption.”
