Religion has always been a hot topic, and with the rise of atheism and agnosticism it’s become even more of a polarizing topic. States that are very diverse in population and belief like California and New York can sometimes forget that there are more homogeneous states that favor tradition over diversity. The Tennessee state senate just voted 19-8 to approve a bill which if signed would mean the state’s official book would be The Bible. Republican Gov. Bill Haslam has not commented yet on whether he’ll sign or veto the bill but he did mention that he has “some personal reservations.” It is completely understandable why the Governor would have reservations. Attorney General Herbert Slatery wrote “Legislative designation of The Holy Bible as the official book … must presumptively be understood as an endorsement of religion.”

Sidestepping the idea of separation of church and state for a moment, lawmakers state that even if not for it’s religious context, the history and significant to the state of Tennessee should be enough to grant it the status of state book. The idea isn’t a new one, just last year the state’s House of Representatives passed a similar bill which was ultimately stalled and never passed. Interestingly, not all Christians are on board with the idea. Some say that if the bill passes, The Bible is lending itself to the laws of man instead of the will of God. Whether the bill passes or not, we definitely haven’t heard the last of this movement.

Holy Bible on wooden table