Tennessee's attorney general determined that the Bible cannot be the state's official book in a decision handed down Monday.
According to the Associated Press, AG Herbert Slatery found that the choice would be unconstitutional, and a violation of separation of church and state mandates.
The state's House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the matter on Wednesday, after an hour-long debate proved fruitless on Tuesday. The bill is sponsored by Republican Rep. Jerry Sexton of Bean Station.
"My purpose for bringing this legislation is to memorialise the role the Bible has played on Tennessee history," Sexton, a former pastor, insisted.
However, Slatery compared the designation of the Bible as the state book to choosing milk as the state's official beverage, because it would "inherently carry the imprimatur and endorsement of the government."
The attorney general also cited a portion of the Tennessee Constitution that states that "no preference shall ever be given, by law, to any religion establishment or mode of worship."
Sexton objected, stating that the official book designation does not promote Christianity over any other religion.
"I challenge anyone to show me where this bill establishes a religion. It does not," he said.
Other politicians warned that such a measure guarantees lawsuits against the state.
"We're gonna get sued, and we're going to lose if we pass this," said Democratic Rep. Darren Jernigan of Old Hickory.
A pastor and rabbi also objected to the legislation because it does not specify which version of the Bible would be the state's official book.
The bill has not yet been presented in the Senate.
Last year, Louisiana lawmakers proposed a similar measure, but it was withdrawn by its sponsor, Rep. Thomas Carmody, R-Shreveport, in the House of Representatives. Carmody said the legislation had become a distraction.
