Lawmakers in Tennessee are divided on a plan to make the Bible the official book of the state.

On one hand, those opposed to the proposal said it would downgrade the book, which Christians consider holy for it is the word of God, to the level of the ordinary things such as fruit, animal and songs that are symbols of the state.

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On the other hand, some legislators believe that the Bible is a vital part of Tennessee's legacy, however, constitutional experts point out that by making the Bible as official state book, it would violate a clause in the charter that the state and religion must be separated, reports Associated Press.

It is the same political principle why similar bills in Mississippi and Louisiana failed. However, the proponent of the measure in Mississippi, Rep. Tom Miles, plans to revive the bill next session. He told Time that it could succeed because they have the numbers.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery had warned that the bill would go against the clause, while State Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris noted that the Judiciary Committee did not look into that aspect.

The House passed the measure on Wednesday - 55 members favored it while 38 thumbed it down. But 22 state senators rejected it as against only nine who voted for the measure the next day, which resulted in the bill being sent back to the committee. But since the committee is in recess until December, the bill is dead at least until the end of 2015.

Suzanna Sherry, a professor of law at Vanderbilt University, explains that a law violates the principle if it endorses a particular religion. University of Tennessee College of Law professor Robert Blitt adds that having an official state book that is a religious book clearly endorses a particular faith.

Two other top state officials, Gov. Bill Haslam and House Speaker Beth Harwell, both GOP members, are also not in favor of the proposal. Harwell believes it reduced the worth of God's word when it becomes "a book with historical significance." State Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris

It is not just the Bible that caused problems for the Tennessee legislature. In 2011, a lawmaker filed a bill that made it a crime to follow some versions of the Sharia, the Islamic code book. Muslims opposed the measure because they found it too broad, which could be misinterpreted and lead to the banning of other central principles of Islam such as prayer five times a day which facing Mecca, not imbibing alcohol and no meals from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan.

TagsTennessee, Bible