--- description: Proponents of the bill say it would be a fitting symbol of the state and wouldn't be in violation of the U.S. Constitution title: Louisiana legislators hope to make the Bible the official state book image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb7620531dddbbfd0/69868a9bd0b6f2c791303c94/bible-louisiana.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [faith](/tag/faith/) ## faith Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Louisiana Bill Would Make The Bible Official State Book  by [Nolan Feeney](/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 14, 2014 4:32 PM CUT  open Bible open BibleGetty Images  by [Nolan Feeney](/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 14, 2014 4:32 PM CUT The Bible could become [Louisiana’s official state book](http://theadvocate.com/home/8873078-125/bill-would-name-the-bible?utm%5Fcampaign=2014-04-14-Stateline%20Daily.html&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Eloqua "undefined") if state legislators have their way. A Louisiana House committee voted 8-5 last week to recommend a bill that would make the Bible Louisiana’s first-ever state book, the Baton Rouge, La. _Advocate_ reported Monday. Republican State Rep. Thomas Carmody said recognizing the Bible in this way would not be the same as making Christianity the official state religion, which would be illegal under the U.S. Constitution. “The Holy Bible would be appropriate for the state of Louisiana,” Carmody said, citing the state’s religious history. While some representatives called the bill offensive and said it should be more inclusive of other religions, others debated which version of the Bible, such as a King James version, should be chosen if the bill goes ahead. “Why not put all versions of the Bible?” Rep. Robert Billiot, D-Westwego, asked. “If there’s one, what are we saying about the rest of the people?” Marjorie Esman, the executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana, said she was not pleased with the plan. “This whole thing is really a not very well concealed effort to use discrimination against those people in Louisiana who do not include the Holy Bible in their belief system,” she told TIME. “It’s unfortunate that Louisiana thinks it’s okay to try and enshrine discrimination in the law.” \[Baton Rouge, La.[ _Advocate_](http://theadvocate.com/home/8873078-125/bill-would-name-the-bible?utm%5Fcampaign=2014-04-14-Stateline%20Daily.html&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Eloqua "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/61750/louisiana-bible-state-book/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/61750/louisiana-bible-state-book/"},"headline":"Louisiana Bill Would Make The Bible Official State Book","datePublished":"2014-04-14T16:32:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:17:40.943Z","description":"Supporters of the bill say making the Holy Book its first ever official book wouldn't be in violation of the U.S. Constitution, which specifically prohibits the establishment of state religions. 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