Tennessee to make Bible States official book

[*Nately120*]

I wonder why no one sees this acceptance of Middle Eastern-based dogma as an official document of a modern USA state as a slippery slope to something we're supposed to be scared of. Hmm...

[Griever]

because biblical shariah law is different than muslim shariah law?

[GMDino]

Quote:Haslam vetoes bill that would make Bible state book




NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Governor Bill Haslam vetoed the bill that would make the Holy Bible the state book of Tennessee.

In a letter to House Speaker Beth Harwell, the governor cites the Attorney General’s opinion given last year that says it would violate the First Amendment of the Tennessee Constitution, which states “no preference shall be given, by law, to any religious establishment or mode of worship.”

The governor goes on to say his “personal feeling is that this bill trivializes the Bible, which I believe is a sacred text.”

“If we believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, then we shouldn’t be recognizing it only as a book of historical and economic significance. If we are recognizing the Bible as a sacred text, then we are violating the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of State of Tennessee by designating it as the official book,” Gov. Haslam goes on to say.

Click here to read his full letter.

Hedy Weinberg, the executive director of the ACLU of Tennessee, said in a statement they applaud Haslam’s leadership in “sending a clear message” that the state “values and respects the religious freedom from all Tennesseans.”

“Religion thrives when it is left in the hands of families and faith communities. Publicly elected government officials cannot use their official positions to favor one religious belief over another. The governor’s veto of this unconstitutional legislation ensures that religious freedom can flourish in Tennessee,” the ACLU’s statement continues.

http://wkrn.com/2016/04/14/haslam-vetoes-bill-that-would-make-bible-state-book/

[fredtoast]

Haslam is a crooked businessman, but a brilliant politician. Look at the reason he gave for vetoing this bill.


“If we believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, then we shouldn’t be recognizing it only as a book of historical and economic significance. If we are recognizing the Bible as a sacred text, then we are violating the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of State of Tennessee by designating it as the official book,”


I would not be surprised if he does not have his eyes on the White House.

[xxlt]

(04-05-2016, 12:34 PM)bfine32 Wrote: imagine if it were any other country than one that is vastly Christian

It is still more vastly Christian than I would have thought per this: http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/

But, two things to note about that - while 70% still claim they are Christian the number has declined dramatically in the last decade or so. And, this is simply what people claim when asked. I think the number of people who attend a Christian church even quarterly (not every week or multiple times a week) is far less than 70%. What difference does it make? Well, people can say they are a lot of things, but their behavior often tells a different story. People can say they are very active and in fact be very sedentary, they can say they are environmentalists but pollute shamelessly, they can say they believe all people are equal but act in ways that are overtly sexist and/or racist.

My point is sometimes it is just fashionable to describe yourself in certain terms, and the self-applied label is not very accurate. It was cool to be a "liberal" in the 60's, but not everyone who claimed the moniker was one. Then that term was vilified in a decades long smear campaign perpetrated in large part by the mythical "liberal media." So, all the "cool kids" claimed to be "conservatives." Were they really? Now that tag has been tainted so people, fearing being tarred and feathered for calling themselves liberal or conservative say they are "independent." Again, are they? Seventy percent of Americans still claim they are Christian, but other than self-identifying what do they do that indicates they are Christian? "Ye shall know them by their fruits." (Matthew 7:16). I would say there is very little fruit on very many of the so-called Christian plants. And, ironically, stupid stunts like making the Bible the official book of a state make people feel worse about identifying as Christian, hence the downward trend in the past decade. The fanatics behind such folly are making it feel more cool and comfortable to call yourself anything but Christian.