While one may assume blasphemy and concerns about it would have died out decades ago, when it comes to "Of Mice and Men," John Steinbeck's use of the word God has rubbed school districts the wrong way for decades. In 1977 South Carolina, the book was even challenged by the Fourth Province of the Knights of the Ku Klux Kian (via Banned Library). It was the taking of God's name in vain that had the alarming group all up in arms about the book, and the grievances didn't stop there.
In 1998, a school library in Bryant, Arkansas wanted the book banned because it "takes God's name in vain 15 times and uses Jesus's name lightly" (via American Library Association). While the book is only 107 pages, a dedicated individual certainly took the time to count Steinbeck's inclusion of such religious verbiage.
But that's just two examples in which the book was challenged about the language around God — the list goes on and on.
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