Judge Rules Any Religious Text Can Be Used for Courtroom Oaths

AP via 9&10 News ^ | 5/24/07 | AP

[melt]

A North Carolina judge has ruled that any religious text can be used to swear in a witness or juror in the state's courtrooms, not just the Bible.

State law currently allows witnesses preparing to testify in court to take their oath in three ways: by laying a hand over "the Holy Scriptures," by saying "so help me God" without the use of a religious book, or by an affirmation using no religious symbols.

The American Civil Liberties Union sued on behalf of a Muslim woman who wasn't allowed to take her oath on the Quran.

[Czar]

"I didn’t know judges could make law."

You forgot the "/sarc/" tag...

[reg45]

Imagine a Scientologist taking an oath on a copy of “Battlefield Earth”.

[reg45]

Democrats could swear on a copy of “Das Kapital”.

[familyop]

"Maybe i have a different perspective on this because I’m Jewish. But this seems like a common-sense ruling. For example, would you force a jew to swear on a King James Bible?"

Has your Rabbi advised on the matter? I'm not Jewish but am an alien student (Noachide Chassid) of an Orthodox Rabbi. He suggested that we simply "affirm" without swearing on any text and told us how to go about it. So I will request that in court, if need be, and won't swear by any variation of the Septuagint (idolatry to me) or by the Tanach (B"H).

[gondramB]

>>The American Civil Liberties Union sued on behalf of a Muslim woman who wasn’t allowed to take her oath on the Quran.

---

So when questioned, can the person swearing on a Quran be asked about the verse that permits lying to non Muslims?<<

I would think the rule would be consistent - is questioning about the Bible allowed?

[gondramB]

>>I didn’t know judges could make law.<<

Thanks for that - first good laugh on what looks to be a long day.

[restornu]

LDS has always used the Bible!

Are you trying to instigate something f150sound?

[gondramB]

>>Could a Wiccan use a “book of shadows”?

What if the religion doesn’t have a written text - but is (or was) an established religion? Do they plan to discriminate against followers of Apollo? Of Mars and Jupiter? Of Skadhi?

Quite a can of worms, I think.<<

What are the other choices - to establish the Christian Bible as the official religious book of the government?

We live in a crazy world where people are claiming that allowing people to choose to pray in public is establishing a government religion. We supress freedom of religion and claim it that freedom of religion requires this suppression.

We don’t need to make it crazier by actually establishing a government religion.

[FMBass]

What would an atheist use? - Nothing?

[Grizzled Bear]

Just wait. Someone will insist on being sworn in on their copy of “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Repair.”

[Grizzled Bear]

I’ve heard of cases (second hand) of people with strong Christian beliefs being allowed to simply make a statement that what they say is true, based on that verse.

[Grizzled Bear]

What advantage would be acquired by requiring a muslim to swear an oath on a book he didn’t hold sacred?

---

The same as requiring a muslim to swear an oath on a book that commands him to lie.

[airborne]

I would think the rule would be consistent - is questioning about the Bible allowed?

I have no problem with htat.

[muir_redwoods]

so no difference and no problem using a koran?

[Grizzled Bear]

so no difference and no problem using a koran?

---

Out of curiosity; what is your opinion on a Christian swearing an oath on the “King James” version?

[Amelia]

What would be the point of having someone swear on a book they did not regard as holy?

If one is not a Christian, and does not believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, it seems to me that swearing on the Bible might be about as meaningful as swearing on the phone book.

But what do I know?

[kiriath_jearim]

“Maybe i have a different perspective on this because I’m jewish. But this seems like a common-sense ruling. For example, would you force a jew to swear on a King James Bible?”

***

They could be convinced to do so because the English name “James” is written in the Greek New Testament as “Iakobos” or “Jacob”. “Jacob” is a Hebrew name, isn’t it?

[muir_redwoods]

"Out of curiosity; what is your opinion on a Christian swearing an oath on the “King James” version?"

I actually have none. I think if a man will lie, he will do so whether he's held a book or not. I think the idea of swearing on a Bible is odd and, the one time I was sworn in as a witness, I took a civil oath.

[Grizzled Bear]

I think if a man will lie, he will do so whether he’s held a book or not.

---

Fair enough. What you say is true.

The point others were making is that the koran instructs Muslims to lie.

An honest and faithful Christian will tell the truth, even if it is a disadvantage.

A faithful Muslim is compelled to lie by his holy book.

[Amelia]

A faithful Muslim is compelled to lie by his holy book.

Then what's the point of having a Muslim swear an oath on any book, or testify at all?