Louisiana Republicans Want To Make Bible State’s Official Book
Yes, but which one? The Old Testament? The New Testament? King James? New American Standard? Gideon? What about the Koran? Isn’t that the holy book of many Americans, too?
On an 8-5 vote, the House municipal committee advanced the bill which now goes to the full House for debate…
Rep. Thomas Carmody (R) said he sponsored the proposal at the request of a constituent but insisted that the bill wasn’t designed to be a state-endorsement of Christianity.
“It’s not to the exclusion of anyone else’s sacred literature,” he told the House committee. He added, “This is not about establishing an official religion of the state of Louisiana.”
Not all legislators agreed, with some pointing out that it might not pass muster with the courts.
Rep. Wesley Bishop (D) said that, as a preacher’s son, he loved the idea. However, as a lawyer, he thinks the bill has problems.
“I think we’re going to open ourselves up to a lawsuit. You can’t adopt the Bible and not adopt Christianity,” he said after voting against the measure.
