Mississippi Lawmakers Propose Bible as State Book

Two Mississippi lawmakers have created a bill proposing to make the Bible the official book of the southern state.

Rep. Tom Miles (D-Forest) and fellow Democratic Rep. Michael Evans (Preston) agreed to propose the Bible as the state book after speaking with the constituents on the matter.

"Me and my constituents, we were talking about it and one of them made a comment that people ought to start reading the Bible," Evans told AL.com in a recent interview.

Evans, a Baptist, went on to say that he and his constituents decided to propose the Bible after discussing "all the things going wrong in the world."

"I believe in the Bible," the representative added.

Miles added to the Associated Press that he believes if the state has an official bird, flower and toy, it should also have an official book. Miles added that he doesn't believe the subject is one of religion, but rather the Bible's teaching on kindness and compassion is important to society.

A similar bill was proposed in Louisiana last year, but the bill's sponsor, Rep. Thomas Carmody (R-Shreveport), ultimately pulled the proposal, saying the criticism and attention the bill was receiving had become a distraction in legislation and had deterred from the real purpose of the bill.

Louisiana's bill for the state Bible gained criticism from both sides. Some argued that making the Bible the state book would endorse the Christian religion, while others argued that it would trivialize the importance of the Holy Book.