Tennessee politician Jerry Sexton is succeeding in his push to make The Holy Bible the official state book. The proposal advanced in the State’s House this week, even as the attorney general raised questions about whether or not it would be constitutional.
The Tennessean has more:
The measure sponsored by Republican Rep. Jerry Sexton of Bean Station was advanced on a 2-1 vote by the State Government Subcommittee on Wednesday.
Rep. Bill Sanderson, the subcommittee’s chairman, said a formal legal opinion has been requested from Attorney General Herbert Slatery. But Sanderson said preliminary word is that the state’s top attorney said the measure could be constitutionally suspect.
Tennessee is not the first state to consider The Bible as its state book. Last year, a Louisiana politician introduced a bill to make a specific copy of The Bible its official state book. The bill was withdrawn after a couple of weeks because apparently the bill became a “distraction.”