Semantics, Semantics. Did Congress buy 20,000 Bibles? No, records do show that.
Did Congress AUTHORIZE for 20,000 Bibles to be imported? YES ("from Holland Scotland or elsewhere into different ports of the States of the Union" Journal of Congress, Thursday, September 11, 1777). Although the Bibles never made it Congress DID AUTHORIZE importing them and it was voted in the affirmative the same day. The talk about Aitkin is a smoke screen to attempt to refute Bills assertion that 20,000 Bibles were authorized, which they were.
Furthermore the Journal of Congress indicated that the reason Congress wanted to get these Bibles into the Colonies was as follows:
"that the use of the Bible is so universal, and its importance so great, that your committee refer the above to the consideration of Congress."
Sounds like they didn't agree that the Bible was fake, a myth, and useless as some of our contemporary secular folks seem to assert and wish. I would also suggest the belief and attitude about God and Jesus Christ was also considered important and essential.
Many of these people, that voted, were instrumental in drafting our Constitution and Amendments. They, being alive during that time, should know better than anyone else, including our modern day judges, what they meant when they Drafted the First Amendment.
For those seeking to know more about the founders and quotes concerning things like the Bible in relation to Schools and a lot more you may find the following website (URL) interesting reading. Note that partially down the page there are links to his other pages (parts 1 - 15) . The link below is just to page 14 of his pages.