A bill that would make the Bible Louisiana’s official state book has made it through a House committee and will be up for debate in the full House, WWLTV News reports.
Shreveport lawmaker Thomas Carmody, who is spearheading the proposal, says the measure is not meant to be a state endorsement of Christianity, nor is it a bid to exclude other sacred literature, the report adds.
Before it advanced through committee stage, language advocating the use of a specific version of the Bible was removed.
Several legislators raised concerns that the measure may violate separation of church and state provisions and open up the state to lawsuits.
Meanwhile, the state’s lawmakers also advanced a bill to remove an anti-sodomy statute that has remained on its books, despite a 2003 US Supreme Court ruling that struck down the sodomy law in Texas and led to the invalidation of similar legislation in 13 other states.
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