Arthur Randallson proposed Initiative 46 that would amend the state’s constitution to recognize Christianity as the official religion of the state and English as the official language.
It reads as follows:Upon the passage of the Heritage Initiative, the Constitution of the State of Mississippi shall be amended to include and incorporate all of the following twelve provisions; the State Legislature may select the location, within the Mississippi Constitution, of each provision.
(I.) The State of Mississippi hereby acknowledges the fact of her identity as a principally Christian and quintessentially Southern state, in terms of the majority of her population, character, culture, history, and heritage, from 1817 to the present; accordingly, the Holy Bible is acknowledged as a foremost source of her founding principles, inspiration, and virtues; and, accordingly, prayer is acknowledged as a respected, meaningful, and valuable custom of her citizens. The acknowledgments hereby secured shall not be construed to transgress either the national or the state Constitution's Bill of Rights.
(II.) English shall be the official language of the State of Mississippi. All governmental or public non-emergency or non-judicial services, functions, or communications in Mississippi shall be rendered in the English language only, except for specific foreign language instruction in public schools, and except for the option of Latin or French for jurisprudence, medicine, heraldry, and other traditional uses.
(III.) The state flag of Mississippi shall be the state flag adopted in 1894, which has been in continuous use since 1894, and which was confirmed by statewide vote in 2001. The state flag of Mississippi shall be displayed in front of all public buildings, including but not limited to all state, county, and municipal buildings and any school receiving state funding. Wherever the national flag is displayed on public land or in public buildings, a state flag of equal size shall also be displayed. In Mississippi public schools and other public institutions, whenever the pledge of allegiance to the national flag is recited, the state flag salute shall be recited immediately thereafter. The state flag salute shall be: "I salute the flag of Mississippi and the sovereign state for which it stands with pride in her history and achievements and with confidence in her future under the guidance of Almighty God."
(IV.) Mississippi's official and sole state nickname shall be "The Magnolia State". Mississippi's official and sole state motto shall be "Virtute et Armis"; said state motto shall appear below the eagle on the state's coat-of-arms. Mississippi's official and sole state song shall be "Dixie". Whenever the national anthem is played in a public venue or at a public event in Mississippi, either "Dixie" or "Go, Mississippi" shall be played immediately thereafter.
