The Education Secretary will this week send commemorative copies of the Bible to schools in England in celebration of 400 years of the King James Version.
No taxpayers’ money will be used for the project, the £370,000 cost is being met by donations from charities and individuals.
Secularists have nevertheless criticised the plan, saying the money could have been better spent on other things.
Profound
The Bibles state on the spine that they have been presented by the Secretary of State for Education.
Schools will start receiving the Bibles this week, with all schools due to have a copy by the end of the month.
Education Secretary Michael Gove said: “The King James Bible has had a profound impact on our culture.
Impact
“Every school pupil should have the opportunity to learn about this book and the impact it has had on our history, language, literature and democracy.
“Thanks to the generosity of a number of charities, supported by philanthropists, we have been able to mark the 400th anniversary of its publication by making a copy available to every school in the country.”
Scripture
But Terry Sanderson, President of the National Secular Society, disapproves of the project.
He said: “This is not simply another piece of literature, it is the holy scripture of one particular religion.
“The money used for this project could have been better used to sponsor other books that are less easily available to pupils.”