Louisiana legislators have advanced a bill that will make the Holy Bible the official state book of Louisiana. State representatives are worried that setting the Bible as the state book means adopting Christianity as the state religion, which will bring about several lawsuits.
“You cannot separate Christianity from the Bible,” said state Rep. Wesley Bishop
The New Orleans Advocate pointed out that State Rep. Thomas Carmody said naming the Bible the state book does not mean a state religion is being made official. He also noted that this is prohibited by the U.S. Constitution.
“The Holy Bible would be appropriate for the state of Louisiana,” said state Rep. Carmody.
According to The Advocate, there was some conflict when choosing which version of the Bible to select as the state symbol. Carmody planned to adopt the King James version as the state book, while Rep. Stephen Ortego objected saying that his Catholic Bible included some books that are not listed in the King James version.
“A lot of people believe in a Bible that has things different than what’s in there, not just Catholics. It’s also Orthodox,” Ortego said.
“Why not put all versions of the Bible? If there’s one, what are we saying about the rest of the people?” Rep. Robert Billiot questioned.
Carmody thinks the Bible is the "appropriate" symbol for the state and notes that the state can have more than one state book.