Year of the Bible

Year of the Bible refers to proclamations by politicians that confirm (at least in the minds of the signatories) that the United States is a Christian nation and that the citizenry should study the Bible during that year to reinforce this misbelief.

No actual official Year of the Bible proclamations occurred, however, before the establishment of the Moral Majority that led many previously apolitical fundamentalists into the arena of national politics.

Official proclamations of a Year of the Bible include:
 * 1983 -- Ronald Reagan signed Proclamation 5018 at the National Prayer Breakfast held on February 3, 1983. This proclamation enacted the first nationwide Year of the Bible. Reagan was only authorized to do this after fundies got a law (Public Law 97-280) passed through Congress, specifically allowing it four months earlier.
 * 1990 -- An "International Year of Bible Reading" was proclaimed by President George H.W. Bush.
 * 2012 -- The Pennsylvania state legislature passed a law proclaiming 2012 to be the Year of the Bible in that state.

Some fundies salivate at the idea of many more Years of the Bible in the future, if not every year, throughout the years.