Year of the Bible in Pennsylvania

"The Congress of the United States approves and recommends to the people The Holy Bible...for the use of schools." Congress, 1782

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives recently passed an unanimous resolution declaring 2012 the "Year of the Bible."   The resolution, introduced by Rep. Rick Saccone, declared the Year of the Bible "in recognition of both the formative influence of the Bible on our Commonwealth and nation and our national need to study and apply the holy scriptures."  I can't argue with that.

As could be expected there has been alarm and the usual reflexive call for "separation of church and state."  The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was among those horrified by this benign resolution.  I get a chuckle out of those who show their ignorance by declaring that others are ignorant about separation of church and state!  I believe the Post-Gazette's understanding of separation of church and state comes from how it is now practiced by statists: removal of anything Christian from the public square.

This skewed policy was not what was intended by our founders and it cannot be found anywhere in our constitution.  As a matter of fact, you could search the constitution back and forth and you will not find anywhere the words "separation of church and state."  This is a term the U.S. Supreme Court quoted from a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury (CT) Baptist Association.  He was attempting to assure the Baptists that the national government was not going to prefer one denomination over another (a rumor at the time). He chose this particular phrase because it was used by a leading baptist preacher, Roger Williams.  And Williams meant the Church would be protected from the State.  Taken in context, Jefferson didn't mean that there was a wall of separation such that religion could not affect government. 

Nor did Jefferson or any of the founders come close to suggesting that government could not acknowledge the contribution of Christianity (or the Bible) to society.  Indeed, John Quincy Adams said, "the highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity."

Finally, let's look at the beginning words of the First Amendment (those concerned with "Freedom of Religion"): Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.  Okay, let's see which part the Neanderthals in Harrisburg violated.  It starts by saying "Congress shall make no law..." Was Congress involved here? No, it was the state legislature.  Was there a law passed "respecting an establishment of religion"? No, by this phrase the writers meant a law that would declare a state religion (as was the case in Europe, and from where many had fled to worship freely here in America). Was there any prohibition to the "free exercise of religion" by the legislature's resolution? No, of course not.

I suggest the statists enjoy the Year of the Bible with the rest of us.