Tennessee lawmakers have brushed aside constitutional concerns in giving final approval to a bill to designate the Holy Bible as the state's official book.
The state Senate voted 19-8 in favor of the bill on Monday despite arguments that it conflicts with a provision in the Tennessee Constitution that states that "no preference shall ever be given, by law, to any religious establishment or mode of worship."
The bill now heads to the desk of Republican Gov. Bill Haslam, who opposes the measure but has not said whether he would issue a veto.
Opponents argued that the Bible would be trivialized by being placed alongside other state symbols such as the tomato as Tennessee's official fruit, the cave salamander as the state amphibian and the square dance as the state folk dance.
