A Congressional Endorsement
Despite what many would have you believe, the Bible was important to the Founding Fathers of America!
In 1781, Robert Aitken, the official printer of the Continental Congress, asked Congress for permission to print Bibles on his presses in Philadelphia. Congress approved his request and appointed a congressional committee to oversee the project. On September 12, 1782, Aitken’s Bible received the approval of the full Congress! Printed in the front of the Bible was this endorsement:
“Resolved, that the United States in Congress assembled . . . recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States.” Commenting on the resolution, one historian wrote: ”Who will call in question the assertion this is a Bible nation? And added: “The first Congress assumed the rights and performed the duties of a Bible Society long before such an institution existed!”
