In case you were wondering what would make life worthwhile now that "Marriage Protection Week" has come and gone, fear not. "Bible Week" is on the way to your city or town. The
National Bible Association, a non-profit group comprised primarily of Bible and Christian book publishers, sponsors the celebration that takes place during Thanksgiving week. Celebrities like former A's 3rd baseman Sal Bando and
Senator Zell Miller (D - GA) are spokespersons. Their website list 20 projects deemed appropriate to mark ""Bible Week." Most are unobjectionable, even commendable, and involve activities that can be undertaken by individuals, churches, synagogues, or community groups. I could even argue for the one potentially controversial idea: a display of Bibles and biblically related materials in a public library.
It is Project #5 that is indefensible:
Encourage your mayor to proclaim Bible Week. (If the population of your community is over 10,000 your mayor receives a letter of invitation to proclaim Bible Week from the national mayor's chairperson.) Work with your mayor or your mayor's press secretary to invite as many civic and religious leaders as possible to the signing of the proclamation and release a photo of the event to the local press. your mayor to proclaim Bible Week.
According to the State News, an independent student newspaper at Michigan State University, this is what has happened in East Lansing where the city council has voted to proclaim "Bible Week." Mayor Mark Meadows noted that this was the eighth time East Lansing had celebrated "Bible Week," and that there was nothing particularly significant about it:
This simply says for those individuals who wish to read the Bible during the week, it's a good week to do it.
The proclamation did not result from some innocent grass-roots effort by a zealous local pastor either. The council was petitioned by the National Bible Association with an accompanying letter from the Rutherford Institute that attempted to assuage any concern that such a proclamation would violate the 14th Amendment. The Rutherford Institute was behind the
Paula Jones legal effort and the recipient of the mysterious messages from an
anonymous caller tipping them about Lewinsky. Richard Mellon Scaife, of course, is a
funding source for the Rutherford Institute.
Chris Mooney's excellent op-ed piece in Sunday's Washington Post counseled those who object to government-sponsored religious expression to avoid strident attacks on the trivial as being impolitic. Unfortunately, there are those on the other side of the issue who are both well-funded and determined to create church/state controversies so that they can reap political and fund-raising advantage from them.