Why was Emile banned?

Rousseau's work sought to upset the proverbial "apple
cart" of how society was seen and how it should be seen.  Of the many ideas evident in
Emile, the most dominant is that the existing social order is no
way to educate a child.  This causes a great deal of consternation when read and and
received by the French public.  Being the political thinker that he was, Rousseau, not
surprisingly, blames much of education's failure on the social order the does not
encourage critical thinking, but rather need to convey conformity to all.  Rousseau's
idea of "cities destroy men" and his continuing belief seen in his political thinking
that individuals are "born free, but live in chains," is extrapolated in
Emile to become associated with the idea that society is wrong and
the more children get away from it, the better off they will
be.

The reception to Emile was one
where individuals saw the work as a critique of society and a condemnation of
traditional means of education.  They were right.  Rousseau meant for the work to be
transformative, calling for a complete mental and physical overhaul in how children are
educated.  In the end, Rousseau's work was one that caused damage and consternation to
the French notion of social self, one that was pleased with where it was and convinced
that what it was doing was right.  This is something that Rousseau rebuked and
definitely rejected through his work, causing such an intense reception to
it.