National Bible Week

Floor Speech

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Mr. NORMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Lamborn for holding this Special Order.

As I was listening to him, I was reminded of the Museum of the Bible that we all went to 4 years ago when it opened up. I asked one of the leaders there: What is the theme of the Museum of the Bible? What is the overriding thing that you want the Museum of the Bible to ascend to?

I will never forget his words. He said, Read the Bible. He said, It does not need any guardian; it does not need any interpretation. Read the Bible. It will change your life. That is what I have found to be true and what is so needed today in America.

Madam Speaker, it is such an honor to come before you today to celebrate National Bible Week. What better place to celebrate the Bible than in what is called the people's House but what is ultimately God's house.

As has been said, in 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued a national proclamation to celebrate the impact of the Bible on our Nation. The Bible has been a light for so many and a source of hope in the darkest of times, and its influence on this Nation is unmistakable.

In this Chamber, Moses, the messenger of the Ten Commandments and witness of God in all of His glory upon the mountaintop, watches over this body from above the gallery doors each time we gather to conduct business.

However, it is not merely the multitudes of honorary monuments and portraits of Biblical figures and passages that exemplify the importance of Scripture to all Americans, but it is the impressions of our social fabric, so evident in our actions, which speaks volumes.

This Nation was founded upon Judeo-Christian principles. A stroll past any of the extraordinary monuments here in Washington, D.C., makes that abundantly clear. Our commitment to the principles enshrined in the written Word has sustained us throughout our rich history during the highest of times and during the lowest of times. The profound impact of the Bible, and particularly the Gospels, changed my life and continues to guide me as a public servant today.

I believe that if we continue to turn to God in all of what we do and love each other as God loves us, our best is yet to come. If we fail to do so, the worst is yet to come.

Despite our political differences and well-known imperfections, God never fails us. An annual celebration of His Word and unending love is the perfect reminder for us to unite with the common goal of humbly serving our Creator and encouraging this Nation to do the same.

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