Bible to Be Mississippi's Official State Book? Lawmakers Not Doing Jesus Followers a Favor, Says Christian Ethicist
Lawmakers in Mississippi have introduced two pieces of legislation that, if approved, would make the Holy Bible the official book of Mississippi, even though such a move might conflict with the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
With Mississippi lacking an officially designated book of the state, three Mississippi lawmakers, Reps. Tom Miles, Michael Evans, and William Arnold (also a non-denominational pastor), are sponsoring bills in the state legislature that would label the Holy Scripture as the state's official book.
Evans told AL.com that the idea of making the Bible the official book of Mississippi came about when he was discussing with his constituents about all the "wrong in the world" and how if more people read the Bible things could be better.
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In an interview with The Associated Press, Miles issued a similar notion, stating that the Bible lays down the foundation for how people should act.
"The Bible provides a good role model on how to treat people," Miles said. "They could read in there about love and compassion."
Miles added that the bills will likely receive bipartisan support, as already 20 Mississippi lawmakers have vowed to support the measure.
Although the lawmakers have reiterated that such a move would be just a symbolic gesture and would not "force anyone to read" the Bible, Evans, Miles and others in favor of the bills hope that such a designation would lead more people to pick up the Bible, since the Scripture promotes kindness and compassion.
While the idea of marking the Holy Bible Mississippi's official book in hopes of promoting the Judeo-Christian way of life sounds like a noble idea, passing such legislation would likely violate the establishment clause of the Constitution's First Amendment, which states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."
Dr. Richard Land, president of the Southern Evangelical Seminary and former president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, told The Christian Post that he does not believe that establishing the Holy Bible as the state book of Mississippi is a smart idea, no matter what percentage of the state claims to hold Christian faith.
"I am sure that they are well-meaning people who want to emphasize and want to underscore the role Judeo-Christian beliefs have played in American culture and the Mississippi culture, but this is a clumsy way of doing it and it is probably a bit too far," Land, who is also The Christian Post's executive editor, asserted. "The state is supposed to be neutral when it comes to religion. I think it could be argued that for the state to officially declare one religion's Holy Scripture to be the official book of the state would be putting the state on the side or giving preference to one faith over other faiths. I think that is probably unconstitutional."
Land adds that from a Christian perspective, designating the Bible as the state's book would mean that the state would have to concede that the book is just historical text, and nothing more, which would conflict with Christian beliefs that the Bible is way more than just a book.
"For those who are Christians, one can't be neutral about the Bible. The Bible, for many Americans, is sacred text," Land asserts. "It is the Holy Scripture. If you try to approach it as just a historical book. That is not neutral. To me, that [degrades] the status of Scripture."
A recent Gallup poll found Mississippi to be the most religious state in the country, with over 59 percent of its residents claiming to be religious. But not all of Mississippi's religious population is Christian. Land explains that if the Holy Bible is to pass on to become the state's book, many Jews, Muslims, atheists, agnostics and other religious minorities would be seriously offended.
"It seems to me that if the state of Mississippi is declaring the Bible to be the official book of the state, how would that make people who our Jewish feel? How would people who are Muslim fee? How would it make people who are atheists and agnostics feel?" Land asks. "I am sure there are people who are atheist and agnostic in Mississippi, probably not as many as there are in New York, but there are atheists and agnostics in Mississippi."
Similar legislation was proposed last year in the state of Louisiana that would have made the Bible their official state book. However, Rep. Thomas Carmody later withdrew his proposal and stated that such legislation would be a distraction from more important legislative issues, such as the state's budget.
