Following the lead of Republicans in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama, Tennessee State Rep. Jerry Sexton (below) has filed a bill to make the Holy Bible the official state book:
House Bill 615 has just been introduced so it’s too early to tell if it’s going anywhere.
However, Louisiana Rep. Thomas Carmody pulled his own bill before it could go up for a vote because it “had become a distraction.” And Mississippi’s bill died in committee last week.
Hopefully, this bill will be handed the same fate.
Of all the books any state should be exalting, a specific group’s religious text ought to be pretty low on the list. Why not a math textbook or a work of classic literature? There are so many authors with connections to the state — Alex Haley, Robert Penn Warren, Tennessee Williams — and it’s appalling their works weren’t considered.
If you live in the state, please contact your elected officials and ask them to reject this unnecessarily divisive bill.
(Thanks to Scott for the link)
