Despite far more pressing problems, Tennessee Senate and House committees have been working to make the Bible the official book of Tennessee — adding the Bible with catfish (the state fish) as a symbol of the state. Of course, cat fish are not matters of faith (beyond the hope and prayer of every fisherman). The House sponsor, Rep. Jerry Sexton, R-Bean Station, added “talking points” to bill. Sexton was only elected in 2015 but is wasting no time in trying to rollback on the separation of church and state.
The bill was approved by the Senate State and Local Government Committee by a 7-0-2 vote. Only two abstained. Not a single opposing vote. The House State Government Committee approved the bill (HBO615) by a voice vote about an hour later.
Rep. William Lamberth, R-Cottontown insists that it must be constitutional because “It doesn’t in any way, shape, form or fashion say that anyone has to read this book. It doesn’t mean anyone has to believe in the tenets of this book.”
Legislators could argue that they are associating the state with the generally accepted elements of the Bible such as the values expressed in the book. However, rabbis and clerics of other religious are objecting. The book also ascribes to one view of the Almighty. Moreover, the official designation will require some state action by employees in listing and featuring the book. It would raise an interesting and potentially expensive court case for the state. If the legislators tried to erect a monument to the Bible, there would be a credible challenge. What is the difference between a monument on the grounds and this designation?
Putting aside the question of the separation of powers, the claim of constitutionality does not make this the right thing to do. There are many citizens in Tennessee who follow other faiths or no faith. This is the majority forcing all citizens to associate with the religious book of one faith. If one truly believe in free exercise of religion, it should come with a respect for the faiths of others. The concept of tolerance and pluralism runs deeply in our values as a nation.
The fact that not a single member had the courage to oppose this bill on principle is a deeply sad reflection on our current politics. Imagine who people would feel is a bill passed making the Koran the official book or the Torah. It is not enough to say that you might be able to get away with dong something wrong — I learned that as a kid from the Bible.
Source: The Tennessean
The catfish is their state fish? Hm. Little wonder. A bottom feeding, garbage eating ugly fish,.
Just as Grimm’s Fairy Tales and other stories were designed to forewarn children, using their imagination, of the dangers they might encounter, i.e. lessons on how to survive, the Old Testament, New Testament, Koran, etc are stories designed to teach man how to survive; until mankind does what any god would want, learns how to figure it out for himself.
Believing that one needs a set of rules, that one can not achieve an understanding as a species, keeps one frozen at a specific moment in evolution. So, take your pick: the world is flat, god made the world in six days, pedophiles ride ponies to heaven, women can reproduce without coitus, people can walk on water, and so on. Or, understand the meaning behind all this and use your head. You know, that thing on your shoulders, that god gave you, or not.
issac
okay then
I don’t want the Church and the State United however, I am not very fond of the way you have parsed down The Holy Spirit or whatever you want to call that agent that raises us us above our egos and normal mentations once we do receive an answer to our soul searching,
Some of us do believe in God because even though objectively we do not believe in him, we know we must believe in him. It is this paradoxical faith that drives those of us with the strongest faith to do great things for humanity no matter what the cost is.
I personally do not believe that “God” gave us a set of rules. I think that is what has set Mankind back in the stone age forever with the Old Testament. I have agonized over this for 40 odd years and this is the conclusion I have come to with some certitude.
I do think it would be unwise to throw out the baby with the bathwater and ditch the Old Testament however, as there is s great deal of wisdom to be garnered in those old legends. They are legends.
The first one that really got me going was the blood on passover painted over the doors so God would know to pass over and not kill the babies. You know – the Omniscient one?
Now, since I believe in the supernal creative principle and it being before time and I believe Jesus Christ came down to Save us from ourselves and is still with us for those of us who accept him, I consider this the greatest paradoc of all. A man who comes down to be resurrected in sorrow to bear pain, missing of the marks (that is what sin is) and the general despair that comes from this state. He comes to show us how to bear our own Crosses because there is no easy way out of this world Issac, How did you get that name anyway? You should read Isaiah 53 which the Binding of Issac is also attributed to,
The Bible is also very metaphysical. It is not just a stupid rule book. Only if you are a stupid person from Tennessee I guess
Ohhh, less go move there
indeed often I could nark on my neighbor….that doesn’t make me an aider or abbeter….because I don’t. but every other move an american makes today is a felony so it’s at one’s own peril to nark and make an enemy neightbor. Once a felon you are screwed. But the good book gives you a chance to reform…..atheist don’t. Tenn is right and scotus incorporation is wrong….it would be a different matter if the feds were asking for incorporation of the atheist bible…..opps that’s it. Believe what the atheists believe or else. So ron reagan should just go pound himself in public in front of little kids…..who can condemn him? Do you see the slope? He might want not do that for whatever limits him but the next jerk off what will limit him? God limited a lot of peeps sue sponte and i’d rather have a notion of god tugging at them then them wondering if tugging in public is ‘illegal’.
those people were elected to stand for something bigger than politician lies…..only by ‘inorcopration’ by scotus does the state have to cave to the atheist religion. Lookks to me they are giving scotus the bird. About time. The only reason we the ppl didn’t before is because we feared the silver platter….snowden rewound all that.
We had dinner at a restaurant near our hotel (Hotel My Home) in Amsterdam. Some guy at a neighboring table said a prayer outloud in English before his group ate dinner. My half blind human pal then said one which he says is from the movie called Thunder Road. Here it is:
Foods good, meat too, skin a cat, that’s that. Amen.
@BarkinDog: “Foods good, meat too, skin a cat, that’s that. Amen.”
You furriners always get it confused.
In Tennessee it goes ‘Good food, good meat, good god, lets eat’.
In addition, for those of you who believe the version of the bible referred to in the legislation is the Shooter’s Bible, I have it on good authority that any version is OK but Pa will most likely read from it with a shotgun across his knee – so you best pay attention.
It’s not fair to hog the Bible.
Wonka – you specialize in ad hominem attacks. You must have sent from Flowers from Algernon.
@DBQ
I find that kind of stuff fascinating, too. Like the Adonis myth, from wiki:
Some more cool stuff, here:
http://www.maicar.com/GML/Adonis.html
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
I have no idea what the Bible really means. It means different things to different people and to different religious groups. I’m not about to argue with anyone over their beliefs as we are all entitled to our own belief system. I’m also not about to argue the veracity or not of the Bible….because we just do not know. That is why we have faith.
I do find it, the Bible fascinating as a former Anthropology major in college. The study of mythology and oral tradition in cultures is fascinating. Also fascinating is the congruity between the Old Testament and oral and written histories and stories of other even older cultures such as the Sumerians who also have an almost exactly similar myth/story as the Noah’s Flood story.
I love atheists giving everyone lessons in what the Bible REALLY means. When somebody here gets a PHD in theology, wake me up.
Wonka – ad hominem attack at 4:45pm
Yes Paul. That would make sense.
Over time an oral tradition will become distorted and fuzzy. Over time also the places mentioned in the Iliad and Oddesy became hidden, covered over and people doubted the veracity of there even being a Troy.
I believe that the Bible, especially the Old Testament is such a case. Oral stories passed down for thousands of years that have a grain of some truth or veracity but which have been altered so much that it is very difficult to tell. For instance the story of Noah’s flood does NOW seem to have some sort of archeological substance in that there is evidence of a rather large and significant flood in the general area which was memorialized in the stories.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/evidence-suggests-biblical-great-flood-noahs-time-happened/story?id=17884533
Whether there was an actual Noah, Ark, two by two animals etc. who knows. But there is physical evidence of a flood.
http://blog.gayleleonard.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/dinosaurs-ark.jpg
Just like the Bible you dimwits, now you’re sound dumber that a deputy
Could you translate that into English?
the bible is just bad fiction.
Actually the Bible is a lot of allegory with some historical truth. There have been archeological discoveries that were based on clues found in the Bible allegorical stories. Places and instances that have proven to actually exist or happened.
This doesn’t meant that it proves the Bible is accurate or 100% true.
Just like the Iliad and the Oddesy. A poem that eventually was shown to have some historical truth. The Trojan War.
DBQ – there are a group of historians who think that the original poems of the Iliad and the Odyssey were written by contemporaries. This has to do with the historical accuracy of the battle sequences and place settings. Then they were added to by a series of oral poets for years until it was finally written down.
@Ingannie
You said, “Max, keep up the good work, your links, videos and comments are right on target.”
LOL! Heck, you don’t even read your own links, sooo I sure can’t see you reading Max-1’s repetitive crap. Thank you for the laugh!
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Other articles I read quoted people as stating that making the bible the state book would be demeaning to the bible. I think it would be just the opposite, making the bible the state book would be demeaning to the state; the bible is just bad fiction.
Jeff – I follow Biblical Archaeology and lately they have found Sodom and know how it was destroyed. The 10 plagues of the Bible are probably better settled than how the pyramids were built. Even the ‘burning bush’ can be explained. We know that Jesus was a historical person, Josephus mentions him. They have discovered the Tower of Babel. Little by little, all those ‘fictions’ are becoming truths.
How can law makers in Tenn or any other state want to make the bible their state book when nobody in gov’t abides by the very book of laws in there that God gave us all to live by? This sounds like Tenn politicians needing to garner support for any up and coming elections! If Tenn politicians want to really do anything, put prayer back in schools, the constitution back on the walls of both schools and all court house buildings,, and start actually governing not only Tenn, but this entire nation under Gods’ laws!!!!!!
Paul,
No. Jesus never said that (that we know of), but he never dated or married, and he did love to camping with twelve guys.