AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Texas lawmaker filed a resolution Wednesday to designate the Bible as the official state book.
The resolution, filed by State Rep. Glenn Rogers, explained the Bible has served as a source of “wisdom and inspiration” for Texas historical figures like Davy Crockett and Sam Houston. The resolution also said 30 governors have been sworn in with a Bible believed to have belonged to Houston, who was the first president of the Republic of Texas, then later a U.S. senator representing the state.
“As a prominent element in the rich fabric of our Texas heritage, the Bible is truly deserving of such acknowledgment,” the resolution said.
The short resolution doesn’t outline which Bible would become the state’s official book, however. Cambridge University explains 11 of the most popular versions in English include the English Standard Version, the New American Standard Bible, the New International Version (NIV), and the most popular, the King James.
Data from the Pew Research Center shows that about 77% of religious adults in Texas identified as Christian. Non-Christian faiths accounted for about 4% of the state’s religious composition, while about 18% of those who answered identified as non-religious or atheist.
Earlier this year, a Tennessee lawmaker pushed for official Bible designation in his own state. Similar resolutions failed in Louisiana in 2014 and Mississippi in 2015.