NASHVILLE — Tennessee’s Gov. Bill Haslam vetoed a bill April 14 that would have designated the Bible as the official state book.
“As you know, last year the attorney general opined that designating the Holy Bible as the official state book of Tennessee would violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the federal Constitution and Article 1 and 3 of the Tennessee constitution, which provides that ‘no preference shall ever be given, by law, to any religious establishment or mode of worship,’” Haslam said, explaining why he vetoed House Bill 615.
“In addition to the constitutional issues with the bill, my 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. … I strongly disagree with those who are trying to drive religion out of the public square. All of us should and must bring our deepest beliefs to the places we are called, including government service.”
According to The Christian Post, Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee who had previously called on Haslam to veto the bill, praised his decision in a statement.
“We applaud Gov. Haslam for his leadership in sending a clear message that Tennessee values and respects the religious freedom of 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,” she said.
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