State-sponsored "Year of the Bible"

On January 24, 2012, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 535, a non-binding resolution declaring 2012 the "Year of the Bible."

The resolution states that we have a "national need to study and apply the holy scriptures," a position which clearly favors Christianity over other religions and violates the separation of church and state as protected by the Constitution of the United States. Our state government should strive to protect religious freedom, not seek to promote one religion over another.

A petition to the Pennsylvania State House on SignOn.org appeared at

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=270744&id=35525-14282517-071e1Zx&t=2

The petition says:

On January 24, 2012, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 535, a non-binding resolution declaring 2012 "The Year of the Bible." The resolution states that we have a "national need to study and apply the holy scriptures," a position which clearly favors Christianity over other religions and violates the separation of church and state as protected by the Constitution of the United States.

As a Pennsylvanian, I wish to make clear that I do NOT support the Bible as the preferred state religious text, and I oppose the passage of a state resolution that formally declares the Bible as the word of God and asserts that strengthening of our nation occurs by "renewing our knowledge of and faith in God through holy scripture."

H.R. 535 is not only unconstitutional, it ignores and devalues the great diversity of peoples and religions which actually constitute the state of Pennsylvania. This resolution, even though it is non-binding, sends a message to citizens that Christian beliefs are more legitimate in the eyes of the state than other belief systems. This message is especially dangerous in our current climate of anti-Islamic rhetoric and strengthened federal powers of detention.

H.R. 535 positions the state to take future action limiting freedom of religious expression and persecuting those who disagree with state-approved religion. I urge Pennsylvania's House of Representatives to repeal H.R. 535.

When I signed the petition I added the following comment "As a Pennsylvanian, at present resident in the UK, I am appalled that the state in which much of the creation of the USA and our constitution was formed proposes to favour one religion over all others and none. Like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, and not forgetting Tom Paine, I am a Deist and while I wish every facility to be made available for those who's belief in centred on organized religion to carry out their religion I do not subscribe to any attempt to connect any organised religion to affairs of the state."

In response to comments made by Facebook friends I have written:-
The rights of liberty and equality spoken of in the Declaration of Independence were opposite to the authoritarian outlook of the Church. Jawaharlal Nerhu wrote on 10 Feb 1933 in a letter entitled "The Advance of Democracy " the following "The early democrats naturally took to rationalism. Their demand for freedom of thought and speech could hardly be reconciled with dogmatic religion and theology. Thus democracy joined with science to weaken the hold of theological dogmas. People began to dare to examine the Bible, as if it were an ordinary book and not something that must be accepted blindly and without questioning." I fear America has forgotten this and are in danger of regression.