In almost every court in the USA when people are called to the stand to make a statement they must put there hand on a Bible and swear not to lie. Yes there is a law in court where a person can be punished for lying or making false statements, but should the Bible be involved? Should people that do not believe in the Bible still have to swear on it? This should be an option but in most courts a person has to.
Regardless of whether people swear on the bible or not, people in court will testify under oath. If they lie under oath, this is perjury, and will have consequences following the court trial. For Christians, it adds insult to injury by going to jail AND lieing to your master even though you swore on the holy book that you will tell the truth and nothing but the truth.
In response to the OP, I feel that the Bible should be presented as an option to those that are Christian. If anything, knowing that if you lie under your master will carry a conscience upon the testifier, hopefully making him/her tell the truth.
For those people who still insist that the country was founded either upon Christianity or with Christianity in mind - read this:
The northern Americas were founded by those that wanted to escape religious oppression, e.g. those that didn't like their religious practices and how they interpreted their religions. In England, you followed one type of Christian belief and if not, you were persecuted. They retreated in order to be free and to practice their own types of religions without fear. While the U.S. wasn't founded on Christianity, the results of the U.S. were different forms of Christianity.
It's the symbolism behind it. Nothing about putting your hand on a book is going to make you tell the truth if you would not had you not placed your hand on said book. And by their logic they should keep a copy of "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins on hand for us atheists
like walker said, its the symbolism behind it. swearing on it isnt going to make you tell the truth. Its just the idea of if your lieing, you swore on the bible to tell the truth, and the mental set in would scare you. I guess its for the christian majority, since anyone could say their atheist and not have to swear on the bible.
No you don't have to swear on the Bible. If you are atheist you are allowed to take a secular oath (which really should be the one given to everybody).
The problem with being sworn in on a religious text, is that by not doing so can have an effect on the opinions of the jury.
In fact, and I quote Thomas Jefferson, who penned our Constitution, "There is not one redeeming feature in our superstition of Christianity. It has made one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites"
Sounds like a very Christian view from one of our primary founders. And if you like we can talk about George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Ethan Allen, James Madison, and James Monroe.
actually it was mostly protesants back then. (cristian yeah, catholic, not quite.) i say this because some atheist/agnostics/Muslim/fool may not know the real differance. Not a big deal otherwise, Jews and Christians have the Bible (old or both), Muslims the Quaran, and other " you go to jail if you lie, son"
Actaully in massechusetts you could get kicked out if you were something else. i if i remember correctly JFK might of been teh first not protesant pres.
