[judgeandjury]

Additionally, the First Amendment forbids Establishment of a state religion. Clearly this forbids the government from taking a position on whether or not the Bible was divinely inspired.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;

As long as no law is made that leads to the government taking a position on whether or not the Bible was divinely inspired, then the First Amendment isn't being violated.

[Tailgunner Joe]

Does officially swearing "So Help Me God" with your hand on the Bible violate the First Amendment? The Founders sure didn't think so!

[nobdysfool]

Everyone makes a big deal about the first half of that Amendment, and glosses over the second half. The first half states, in essence, that Congress shall make no law which either establishes OR DIS-ESTABLISHES religion. The second half expands on that by stating that no law can be made at the National level to prohibit the free (meaning unencumbered) exercise of religion by the citizenry. In short, Congress has no authority to either endorse or prohibit religious expression of any kind. Today, Congress oversteps that authority.

John Adams understood quite well that our government would only continue to function well as long as it was understood that the government does have a stake in promoting morality and religious expression.

We have no government armed in power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a religious and moral people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other. - John Adams, 2nd President of the United States.