Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam vetoed on Thursday a bill that would designated the Bible as the state's official book.
Haslam said an opinion last year by Attorney General Herbert Slatery indicated that the bill would violate the Establishment Clause and the Tennessee Constitution.
"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," Haslam said in his veto letter addressed to Speaker Beth Harwell.
He added, "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. If we are recognizing the Bible as a sacred text, then we are violating the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Tennessee by designating it as the official state book."
The state Constitution mandates that "no preference shall ever be given, by law, to any religious establishment or mode of worship," according to the Associated Press.
If Haslam had signed the bill, it would have made Tennessee the first state to designate the Bible as official book.
The legislature is planning to override Haslam's veto as it takes only a simple majority to overturn it.
The bill is sponsored by Sen. Steve Southerland, an ordained minister, and Rep. Jerry Sexton, a retired Baptist pastor.
"Sen. Southerland and I are prepared to move forward with a veto override and we plan to do exactly that," Sexton said, The Tennessean reported.
The bill was passed by the state House last year with a 55-38 vote while Senate passed it this month.
"Men and women motivated by faith have every right and obligation to bring their belief and commitment to the public debate. However, that is very different from the governmental establishment of religion that our founders warned against and our constitution prohibits," Haslam said.
Roger Gannam of the Liberty Counsel said Haslam's reason to veto the bill is based on an "erroneous interpretation of the Constitution."
"The government's adoption of the Bible as the state book would not be an endorsement of Christianity or Judaism or the contents of the book as religion," Gannam said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee applauded the governor.
Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, thanked the governor for his decision. The ACLU had opposed the legislation as it made its way through the Tennessee General Assembly.
"We applaud Governor Haslam for his leadership in sending a clear message that Tennessee values and respects the religious freedom of all Tennesseans," said executive director Hedy Weinberg.
