- David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee.
Eight years after his predecessor vetoed a bill enshrining the Bible as the official state book, Gov. Bill Lee signed into law a measure making a version of the Holy Book one of Tennessee's 10 official tomes.
The Aitken Bible was the first edition of the Bible published in the United States during the Revolutionary War and joins other books including Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors" and Alex Haley's "Roots." Both Parton and Haley are or were luminaries and Dolly has achieved the honorary status of sainthood for many fans.
This was a clever way for lawmakers to get around past constitutional concerns about violating the First Amendment.
But the purpose was clear to send a message that most legislators — and the governor — favor Christianity over other forms of worship or lack thereof. If not, why would the Tennessee General Assembly pass a resolution designating November as Christian Heritage Month?
While it's true that nearly three quarters of Tennesseans identify as Protestant Christians, according to Gallup, we citizens must not forget that this nation and the Volunteer State were founded on principles of keeping government from sanctioning any one religion.
Will recent protestlet Vanderbilt silent majority of students finally feel enfranchised?
It's one thing to pray publicly or post a Bible verse on X, as many Tennessee elected officials do on the weekends, but favoring a particular faith position conflicts with Americans' constitutional obligation to live as a pluralistic society called to respect people of different backgrounds and ideas.
Here's what the federal and state Constitutions say on religion
Former Tennessee state Attorney General Paul Summers, who writes a weekly column for The Tennessean on civics education, has been delving into the First Amendment which prohibits the federal government from enacting any "law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise."
On matters of faith, the Tennessee State Constitution goes even further:
"That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience; that no man can of right be compelled to attend, erect, or support any place of worship, or to maintain any minister against his consent; that no human authority can, in any case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience; and that no preference shall ever be given, by law, to any religious establishment or mode of worship." (Article I, Section 3)
This means that a person's individual rights to worship or pray may not be made unlawful, but also focus on the strong words chosen by the state's founders regarding limits on the government: "no man (or woman) can of right be compelled" ... and ... "no preference shall ever be given ..."
In 2022, The Tennessean began documenting the state's rise in Christian nationalism — how politics and faith intertwine.
That year, voters approved a referendum amending the constitution to end the official prohibition of "ministers of the gospel and priests of any denomination" from holding a seat in the Tennessee General Assembly. However, the unenforceable language keeping atheists from serving as legislators remains in the state Constitution.
In 2018, lawmakers unsuccessfully tried to place an amendment on the ballot that would add this language (House Joint Resolution 37): "We recognize that our liberties do not come from governments, but from Almighty God."
First Amendment rightsprovide Americans broad leeway, but there are also limitations
That clearly was a complete deviation from the original intent of the founders.
It would be foolhardy to deny an elected official's faith, values or ideals from influencing their world view and how they legislate, but there is a greater official responsibility also to defend the rights of their neighbors, who may be Jewish, Muslim, another faith or atheist.
They take an oath of office to defend the Constitution. That may at times cause a conflict between what they think is morally right and legally right, but when exercising their official capacity, they should seek to be constitutionally in the right.
Citizens do not have to agree on religion, but they should respect each other
Over the last two years, Tennessee lawmakers have passed laws with a values-based intent that the courts have deemed unconstitutional.
For example, the statewide ban on children viewing drag performers was struck down on First Amendment grounds.
Murfreesboro tried to ban the BoroPride LGBTQ-plus event based upon a value judgment made by the city manager.
Now, the city has paid a $500,000 settlement to the Tennessee Equality Project, the event organizer, which was represented by the ACLU Tennessee. The city council also repealed a community decency standards ordinance that reflected essentially one viewpoint.
Not only are discriminatory laws wrong, but they can be costly to taxpayers.
Citizens can disagree with each other on matters of faith, but that does not give license for the government to discriminate or pick winners and losers based on their religious denomination.
Yes, there is a balance between whether a baker or website developer can refuse services to same-sex couples (yes) or whether a secular employer can discriminate against someone on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity (no) — cases the Supreme Court has ruled on in recent years.
I would certainly encourage citizens to read any of the books on the state's new official list. Not because the governor said so, but because they provide a gateway to more knowledge, create a greater connection with fellow citizens and establish an understanding about why government should be limited in prohibiting the freedoms of its citizens.
These are the tomes that made the list of Tennessee's official books
- "Farewell Address to the American People," George Washington (1796)
- "Democracy in America," Alexis de Tocqueville (1835 and 1840)
- Aitken Bible (1782)
- Papers of President Andrew Jackson
- "Roots," Alex Haley (1977)
- "A Death in the Family," James Agee (1958)
- "All the King’s Men," Robert Penn Warren (1947)
- "American Lion," Jon Meacham (2009)
- "The Civil War: A Narrative," Shelby Foote (1958-1974)
- "Coat of Many Colors," Dolly Parton (2016)
David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He isan editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts theTennessee Voices videocastand curates theTennessee VoicesandLatino Tennessee Voicesnewsletters. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him atdplazas@tennessean.comor tweet to him at@davidplazas.
