Bible Could Become State Book in Tennessee; 'I Hear Satan Snickering,' Says Opposition
A bill seeking to make the Bible Tennessee's state book passed through the local House of Representatives Wednesday despite opposition from some vocal state lawmakers and the state's attorney general and is expected to be put to a vote in the state Senate Thursday.
State Rep. Jerry Sexton, Republican from Bean Station and a former pastor who proposed the bill, said he was pleased it passed the House with a 55-38 vote.
"History's going to tell us where we stand on this. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to have the side that I'm on," he told The Tennessean after the vote. "It may be kind to me in the future and it may not be kind, and that's okay. I made a decision for today and I feel good about it."
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The bill now moves to the state Senate, where it could face a harder sell. Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, a Republican from Collierville has openly opposed the bill since its inception and said he does not want it to pass when put to a vote.
"I sure hope it won't pass. I think it'll be a dark day for Tennessee if it does. All I know is that I hear Satan snickering," Norris said. "He loves this kind of mischief. You just dumb the Good Book down far enough to make it whatever it takes to make it a state symbol, and you're on your way to where he wants you."
Republican Gov. Bill Haslam opposes the bill even though he told The Associated Press that his faith is the "most important thing" in his life. "Anytime the state has gotten tied in with the church, it hasn't ended well for the church."
Similar bills introduced in Mississippi and Louisiana were killed and abandoned respectively after much scrutiny. Louisiana proposed making the Bible its state book last year, but the bill was withdrawn by Republican State Rep. Thomas Carmody, citing the argument for separation of church and state. Mississippi Democrats and Republicans killed legislation proposed to that effect this year.
Republican Tennessee Rep. Bud Hulsey was among those proud to sign the bill and took to social media to share his decision with constituents.
"The bill naming the Bible as the State book passed out of the sub-committee that I was on. I voted for it. That causes great grief with some folks," Hulsey wrote. "Rep Sexton did a State-wide survey with a reputable polling company, and found that 63% of Tennesseeans wanted it. Rep Sexton's presentation was very logical. It was not a push for a religious position, but rather looking at the history of that Book's influence on America and on Tennessee. There is no other book that has had as much influence on the people of this State, and influence on law and Government."
Attorney General Herbert Slatery has also come out against the bill and stated he feared there would be room for interpretation of Christianity as the "official" religion of the state.
"The Bible is undeniably a sacred text of the Christian faith," Slatery wrote in his official opinion. "Legislative designation of The Holy Bible as the official book … must presumptively be understood as an endorsement of religion."
Dr. Richard Land, president of the Southern Evangelical Seminary and former president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, previously told The Christian Post that he does not believe that establishing the Holy Bible as the state book of any state is a smart idea, no matter what percentage of the state may agree.
"The state is supposed to be neutral when it comes to religion. I think it could be argued that for the state to officially declare one religion's Holy Scripture to be the official book of the state would be putting the state on the side or giving preference to one faith over other faiths. I think that is probably unconstitutional," Land, who is CP's executive editor, noted.
"For those who are Christians, one can't be neutral about the Bible. The Bible, for many Americans, is sacred text," Land said. "It is the Holy Scripture. If you try to approach it as just a historical book. That is not neutral. To me, that [degrades] the status of Scripture."
The Christian Post reached out to both Sexton and Norris but did not receive comment in time for publication.
