The swearing on the Bible thing.

[TNDemo]

I got a goofy right wing e-mail but one thing kinda made me go hmmm. It asked why we can't display the ten commandments in a building where we have to swear on a Bible to testify. How did the swearing of the Bible come about and why is that continued?

[truthspeaker]

1. I don't know but it isn't required

You have a constitutionally guaranteed option to either swear or affirm. You don't have to swear on a bible.

[Loonman]

2. Misinformation, as usual

Swearing on the Bible is optional these days, you don't even have to say "so help me God", anymore.

More fundie lies that have nothing to do with anything.

[youngred]

3. Its tradition

back to the days when swearing on the bible was the sign of a most sacred oath. If you put your hand on it you stand before God and a lie to God was a biiiiig sin.

[maha]

4. Once I was a witness in a trial

... and I was tied up in knots over the swearing on the Bible thing. But when my turn came to testify there were no Bibles in site. I just had to raise my right hand and promise to tell the truth.

[KensPen]

7. I would LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE

to see a rightie react if they were in a ethnic neighbor hood...

that chose to have them swear on the Koran,
or had a statue of a Hindu god in the lobby,

or any such thing...

Maybe kill a chicken in a Santaria ritual prior to testifying.

[SteveG]

5. Factually wrong

You do not have to place your hand on a bible to be sworn in. That would be a religious test, which is expressly forbidden in the Constitution (article VI section 3). When I was last sworn onto a jury, I refused to place my hand on the Bible, and I simply said "I affirm" the bailiff gave me a funny look, and looked to the judge for instruction, and the judge just nodded to him that what I had done ok.

[meegbear]

6. Check this link ...

http://www.sunnetworks.net/~ggarman/sohelpme.html

[rucky]

8. Perry Mason's been off the air for awhile n/t