How do Atheists testify in court?

I think there are some issues with swearing on a bible in a court of law. out of my head :
-Given that swearing is a solemn and important act, it promotes the bible, god and religion by association. It reinforces the belief that god must be associated with major and solemn acts. Promoting religion should have no place in a court of law.
-It can prejudice the jury : “this guy swear on the good old bible, so he must be a good christian and a reliable witness. This other guy is swearing on some religious book I dislike, I can’t trust him”. More generally, it informs the jury about the beliefs and opinions of the witness, and why should the jury know anything about him which isn’t related to the case? Why not asking him also before he can testify : “Will you swear on your trade union membership card?” “Do you prefer so help me Bush or rather so help me Kerry?” Do you watch porn flicks?
And anyway, why should there be a bible in a court? Posting the ten commandmeents in the hall isn’t constitutionnal, but proheminently displaying the whole bible in the court itself and using it as some sort of official tool which will magically compell witnesses in telling the truth is? How can this make any sense?

Here, as in several other jurisdictions mentioned in the thread, there is NO Bible and NO “so help you God” in the oath taken of witnesses at court, or legislative hearings, nor is the phrase part of the oath required of officeholders.

Heck, even the US Presidential Oath of Office does NOT contain “so help me…” as part of the legal text of the oath.

I get the impression that the Bible and the invocation are NOT requirements anywhere, just traditional affectations.

There are two direct injunctions from the Bible:

Matthew 5:33-37 - “Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply Yes’ or `No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”

James 5:12 - “But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no be no, that you may not fall under condemnation.”

Given these verses, the first of which is a quote from Jesus Himself, one would think that no fundamentalist Christian would be willing to swear on a Bible.

Then again, the verse right before that is the one where Jesus forbids divorce, so I suppose there’s some picking and choosing going on anyway.

Different definition of “swearing”.

No, that’s not the meaning.

In this case, no. Instead, swearing on the Bible shows that you’re not afraid of God’s punishment for taking this oath, which you would be if you were bearing false witness. (There was a quite funny SNL skit many years ago set during the Salem witch trials – when one of the characters was sworn in huge jags of lightning came out of the sky to strike the Bible and it began to smoke, plainly showing that he was an agent of the devil, but no one in the court seemed to notice.)

–Cliffy

Thanks InternetLegend, that’s what I had in mind… Heck, I’m not a fundamentalist or evangelical Christian, just plain ol’ Catholic, and I would be uneasy…

Walloon, care to enlighten me on your understanding of the meaning of swearing *“on” * something?

I don’t swear on Bibles. It’s an admission that that book has some power and authority over me, which it does not. It would also enforce the idea that our national institutions come from God or exist at his sufferance, which they do not. And that book – or at least what many people have read into it – has been the cause for more suffering in the world than a man could concieve; its presence would degrade the oath I take.

–Cliffy

I got yelled at by the judge and threatened with “contempt” because I didn’t want to say it. :frowning:

He was a real asshole. :mad:

Count me in with the hypocrites. I don’t mind taking an oath, on the Bible or otherwise. All I want to do is give my story and get it over with. I intend to tell the truth anyway because it’s much less dangerous than lying as a witness.

Of course, by the time I actually did testify, on the three occasions that I’ve done it, I had gone over the story so many times in my mind that it might not have had a lot of correspondence with actual events.

To go off on a bit of a tangent, you are correct. The US Constitution explicitly states that “…no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” (Article VI)

And before taking office the President "…shall take the following Oath or Affirmation: - “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States…” (Article II, end of Section 1)

So no religious oath of public office here in the USA, and the President doesn’t have to be sworn in on the Bible (or anything else) - it’s personal preference.

I’m sure there was a famous court case where the Friends sued, or were sued over their refusal to swear on a bible, or to god at all. I’m pretty sure that’s where the “swear or affirm” thing originated.
Peace,
mangeorge

A common misconception. Atheists believe that God does not exist, just as theists believe God does.

Of the five judges I frequently deal with, only one uses “so help you God” as part of the oath. None of them employ bibles as part of the process.

My favorite is the Juvenile Court Judge. Officers and adult witnesses get the standard oath or affirmation. The kids all get a stern look and he says, “You promise to tell me the truth?” :slight_smile:

I’d kinda like to know why the question is there in the first place. It’s like ordering a cheese burger from McDonalds and getting pickles as a default. It just shouldn’t be there!

Oxford English Dictionary:
swear on (or upon) . To take an oath, symbolically touching or placing a hand on (a sacred object); formerly also, to swear by (a deity, etc.).

What’s with the “care to enlighten me” phrasing?

I don’t understand your objection, unless it’s on religious grounds. If that’s the case then your reply is out of place.
The OP has been answered. Several times. :wink: