House Passes Resolution Seeking To Make The Bible Tennessee’s Official State Book
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
On Monday, March 28th, the Tennessee House of Representatives passed a joint resolution that seeks to designate the Holy Bible as the official state book of Tennessee.
Sponsored by Republican Representative Jerry Sexton (Bean Station – District 35), HJR0752 passed with the majority of Republicans voting in favor (59 in all).
The majority of Democrats voted No, with Republican Representative Michael Curcio (R-Dickson-District 69) joining them in the Nay vote.
Meanwhile, three Republican Representatives were present but chose not to vote. Representatives Patsy Hazlewood (R-Signal Mountain-District 27), Bob Ramsey (R-Maryville-District 20) and Rush Bricken (R-Tullahoma-District 47) joined with Democrat Bill Beck in abstaining from the vote.
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The Resolution in part states:
The practice of a legislative body approving and recommending the Bible to the American people dates back to September 12, 1782, when Congress passed a resolution approving and recommending the Aitken Bible, which was the first English Bible printed in North America, to ‘all inhabitants of the United States’; and, this resolution, as documented in the Journals of Congress, has never been repealed.
The Holy Bible has great historical and cultural significance in the State of Tennessee as a record of the history of Tennessee families that predates some modern vital statistical records.
According to the Secretary of State, Tennessee and many other states did not keep comprehensive records of births, marriages, and deaths before the 20th century and families recorded their own vital records in family Bibles that were passed down through the generations.
Because these Bibles contain a history of Tennessee families that may not be found otherwise, the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) holds hundreds of family Bible records in several formats and within many collections.
The Tennessee State Library and Archives Bible collection contains Bibles with records dated between the late 18th century and the early 20th century, including those of many prominent Tennessee families.
The resolution’s actionable verbiage states, “Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the one hundred twelfth General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, the Senate Concurring, that we hereby designate the Holy Bible as the official State book.”
HJR0752 has now been engrossed and is ready for transmission to the Senate.
According to a report by The Tennessee Star, this is the third time an attempt has been made by the General Assembly to make the Bible the official state book. Former Governor Bill Haslam vetoed similar legislation in 2016, citing Constitutional concerns.
In addition to Republican Governor Haslam’s veto, similar resolutions have been blocked by the state Senate, including last year’s version.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
Sad 3rd attempt. Doesn’t speak well of our CHRISTIAN law makers! Pict shows a KJV which in my opinion is the BIBLE not NSV, etc. I think they actually change the meaning of many scriptures.
This defeats the purpose of separation of church and state.