After Target Australia announced they will stop selling Grand Theft Auto V because of violence against women, a petition asking Target to stop selling the Holy Bible for similar reasons has gone viral.

Calling the Bible a “misogynistic book” the Change.org petition asks Target stores to remove the Bible from its shelves because “this sickening book encourages readers to commit sexual violence and kill women.”

The petition, began today, December 4, already has over 12,000 signatures.

The following is an excerpt from the petition:

This book (the Bible) spreads the idea that certain women exist as scapegoats for male violence. It shows hatred and contempt for women in the sex industry and puts them at greater risk… Books like this are grooming yet another generation of boys to tolerate violence against women. It is fuelling the epidemic of violence experienced by so many girls and women in Australia – and globally. Target, you pride yourself on being a family company, caring for local communities, and have a strong ethical sourcing policy. How can you do this while contributing to hostile and callous attitudes toward victims of violence and, more broadly, to all women? Please put ethics before profits and make a strong statement that you do not condone sexual violence, sexual exploitation or the abuse of women as ‘entertainment’.

Earlier this week Australian Targets buckled under pressure from a Change.org petition asking the stores to stop selling Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) due to the game’s depictions of sexual violence against women.

The Change.org petition asking Target to stop selling the Bible is thought to be a reaction to Target deciding to remove GTA V.

Tech Times reports:

The Bible petition uses much of the same language as the original GTA V petition, highlighting many of the various scenes in the Bible that depict horrifying violence against women and elaborating on what it teaches men in today’s modern society.

The petition to ban the Bible makes a good point: the Bible is full of obscenity and violence against women, as well as all other sorts of horrors and gross immorality.

And it seems clear that Target Australia is invoking a double standard. The double standard is made apparent by the fact that Target Australia will continue to sell other games and DVDs that match GTA V’s R-18+ rating.

While there is little doubt that determined gamers in Australia will be able to acquire GTA V from other retail outlets, the incident does serve to illustrate why censorship is almost always a bad idea. After all, one gamer’s Bible is another gamer’s GTA V.