Swearing on the bible?

[ignoramus]

Guys, after reading various posts, it dawned on me that we as a secular society still have our legal system anchored on a huge fucking archilles heel.
Namely the act of having to swear on the bible. How does it work if you are there to testify but proclaim that you are not religious?
What do Muzzies do? Does our legal system think that putting your hand on an old book and muttering a few words will magically force you to tell the absolute divine truth!

This bullshit needs to change. It doesn't deserve to be held in such high regard. Especially in Australia and the UK.

[Aractus]

If you're not religious you swear by an affirmation rather than an oath. If you have a different religion to Christianity you can swear an oath by your religious text instead of by the Bible (provided the court is notified to have a text on-hand, otherwise you swear by an affirmation):

Do I have to take an oath?

When it is time for you to give your evidence, the court officer will show you the witness box and ask you whether you prefer to take an oath to tell the truth or to make an affirmation to do so.

An oath has religious significance and an affirmation does not. Your evidence will be considered in the same way regardless of the choice you make.

You will then be handed a card which has the oath on one side and the affirmation on the other. When people give evidence in Court, they are asked to take an oath or affirmation that they will tell the truth. It is an offence to give false evidence in Court after taking this oath or affirmation.

If you would prefer to have the oath or affirmation read on your behalf because of poor eyesight or for any other reason, you need to tell the court officer this as soon as you arrive. The Court also requires at least 24 hours' notice of any other arrangements that may need to be made to enable you to take the oath or affirmation. For example, the Court must be notified if you require a holy book other than the Bible. Tell this to the person or lawyer who has called you as a witness.

[Ashground]

Same in Britain. When I did jury service I was handed a bible (you can ask for a different holy book) and a card. On one side of the card was the oath, turn it over and the affirmation was on the other side. All I had to do is put the bible down and hold the card while reciting the affirmation to the courtroom. I was surprised at how few people took the affirmation, I did jury service three times and each time it was just me and one or two others on the jury.

[robvalue]

It is crummy bullshit. Get all religious texts and references out of courthouses. If someone can't be trusted to tell the truth due the seriousness of the situation and threat of perjury, they aren't fit to be in the courtroom. Aren't religious people are mainly supposed to not lie, and think their God is watching them all the time anyway, huh? Is this an admission that they aren't taking this seriously outside courtrooms?

[Anomalocaris]

Guys, after reading various posts, it dawned on me that we as a secular society still have our legal system anchored on a huge fucking archilles heel.
Namely the act of having to swear on the bible. How does it work if you are there to testify but proclaim that you are not religious?
What do Muzzies do? Does our legal system think that putting your hand on an old book and muttering a few words will magically force you to tell the absolute divine truth!

This bullshit needs to change. It doesn't deserve to be held in such high regard. Especially in Australia and the UK.

When I swear by the bible, I feel obligated to so construct what I say as to adopt precisely the same bullshit to fact ratio as the holy bible.

[robvalue]

If I'm swearing in the bible, then I should expect awful investigation techniques and death sentences for minor infractions.

http://youtu.be/ZlpAW848BCA

[abaris]

What do Muzzies do? Does our legal system think that putting your hand on an old book and muttering a few words will magically force you to tell the absolute divine truth!

This bullshit needs to change. It doesn't deserve to be held in such high regard. Especially in Australia and the UK.

As far as I know, there are multireligious as well as secular options in every Western country. If you object to swear on the bible, they make you swear a secular oath.

[robvalue]

Can I swear on a packet of pasta? Or on a demon statue?

[vorlon13]

If someone has sworn on any bible other than a King James 1611, they have not sworn on a Bible.

This Religion 101 moment has been brought to you by Pfangles.

[TheRealJoeFish]

US Representative Keith Ellison swore on a quran. I know there is various swearing in on bibles done here in the courthouse, but I would politely decline and ask to give a solemn oath instead.

Another one is the swearing in of witnesses: the Court Reporter (stenographer) does the swearing in, and every one has a different script for it (and some a few), but they're commonly along the lines of "Do you swear or affirm before almighty god, the knower of all hearts, that the testimony you are about to give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" If I knew I was being called as a witness, I would request that the court reporter use one that does not invoke god.