The 99 member state House of Representatives is set to vote Thursday on this proposal. Last time this bill was considered on the House floor in 2016, lawmakers unsuccessfully attempted to override former Governor Bill Haslam’s veto. Last week the current bible bill passed the House Naming, Designating, and Private Acts Committee, but the bill hasn’t made much movement in the state Senate. Sexton spoke on behalf of the legislation when the House committee met on March 3, emphasizing the role the Bible plays in tracking family histories as well as the publishers in the state who produce copies of the Christian holy book. Sexton said “it is not my intent to bring the legislation to cultivate adherence to religious principles or aid in religious devotion. Simply my purpose for bringing this legislation is to memorialize the role the Bible has played in Tennessee’s history and acknowledge the impact it’s had on Tennessee's culture, music, literature, and business industry. Even though some committee members spoke in support of it, John Ray Clemmons of Nashville, challenged the bill. He pointed out that it could be viewed as exclusionary by some Tennesseans and potentially prompt lawsuits, citing the 2015 opinion issued by Attorney General Herbert Slatery that the bill could violate the state and federal constitutions. Haslam, a devout Christian also vetoed the bill in 2016 for the same reason and because it trivializes the Bible. Sexton responded to this challenge by saying the current iteration of the bill could be made more defensible in court by amending it to emphasize the Bible's historical and economic significance.
I believe that the Bible should not be allowed to be the state book of Tennessee due to the fact that it blatantly goes against the state Constitution and infringe on people's rights. Tennessee’s Constitution is very explicit about not establishing religion, Article I of the state constitution says that “no preference shall ever be given, by law, to any religious establishment or code of worship.” If the Bible is made the book of Tennessee that shows preference toward the Christian faith, not taking other faiths into account. While I do agree that the Bible may have played a role in Tennessee’s history and had an impact on its culture, music, literature, and business industry, I think that the state needs to show equality towards all religions not just Christianity, and have a non religious symbol, then the state is acting in a neutral way and is not violating the states constitution or the First Amendment. Having the state book be the Bible is a representation of the state and the people in the state, this would be like adopting Christianity as the official state religion.
10 comments:
I agree with your decision on this case. I think it is clear that determining the bible as the official state book is a clear entanglement of church and state. The Bible is clearly a book that serves a non-secular purpose and to place it on the same pedestal as secular figures such as the state bird or tree would be a violation of the establishment clause.
Many of the Establishment Clause cases we have read over this semester have been quite difficult to untangle. Many times the SCOTUS has had to review way in which a neutral law may benefit the church or give them preference that is hard to determine. This case is not that. The Tennessee lawmakers attempt to make the Bible the official book of Tennessee blatantly violates the language and understood meaning of the Establishment Clause. Doing such undermines the secular aims of government and does attempt to establish Christianity at the state's religion in a roundabout way. The ostensibly secular aims cited by Sexton are not compelling or convincing. I agree that this would violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
I agree with Cole's argument here. The installment of the Holy Bible as the official book of the state would be an establishment of religion, as it would be favoring Christianity over other religions. I do not think that the Christian Bible can be compared to things, such as honey bees, in the way Representative Sexton is attempting to.
I also completely agree with your argument that this is a clear violation of the Establishment clause and unnecessarily entangles church and state. I understand the desire to pass this law comes from a desire to preserve the history of the state, which the Bible has been important too, but this goes too far and it is clear that this law is religiously motivated while serving no secular purpose.
I agree with the Author's analysis of this case and the opinion that by naming the Bible, or any religious text, as the state book of Tennessee would directly violate the first amendment.
I agree with your stance of this case. This is a clear example of an establishment of religion for the Bible, or any religious book for that matter, to be an official book of the state. No it is not legally forcing everyone to be of that religion, but the motive here is purely religious and non-secular. You mentioned that they argued the Bible is similar to other state symbols, such as tulip poplars, honey bees, and ladybugs, arguing that it holds historic, economic, and practical relevance to the people of Tennessee. I completely disagree with this comparison, as none of these things regard religion the same way that having the Bible as an official state text would. It blatantly shows support for one religion and not the same is done for all the others.
This case is clearly a violation of the establishment clause. I agree with you that the Bible has no place in being the state book for Tennessee. This would establish the Christian faith in Tenessee which violates the 1st and 14th amendments. Comparing the Bible to state flowers and other symbols is incorrect because they are not the same. The Bible is a book that is specific to one type of faith. This would exclude all the people who don't practice Christianity in Tenessee and deem it a Christian state. This goes against the 1st Amendment completely and should not be allowed.
I agree with you that this is a direct violation of the establishment clause. The bible, or any other religious text, should not be allowed to become the state book for Tennessee or any other state. This would create an establishment of religion and hurt other minority religious groups. It would be clear bias towards one religion over another, and if it were a minority religion pushing for their book to be the state book, I think there would be a lot more push back from residents of the state.
This case is a clear violation of the Establishment Clause and completely goes against the separation of church and State. Making Tennessee's State Book the Holy Bible would essentially establish Christianity as the State's religion and further marginalized minority religious groups within the state; placing one religion above another is a clear bias. State government are intended to be free of religion and if the Holy Bible were to be the state book it would go against the values of America.
I agree with the author here that there is no right or explanation that could validate the Bible becoming the state book of Tennessee. This scenario clearly violates the establishment clause, to the extent that if it did become the state book of Tennessee it would be opposing and disproving of all other minority religions that do not use the Bible to worship. Although it is being argued that the Bible has great value and importance to the history of Tennessee, it still does not validate the Bible becoming the state book of Tennessee because of the idea of separation of church and state. Even if the Bible isn't going to be used to make state decisions it still violates the rights of the people by involving religion in backing historical state actions.
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