Posts: 1988
Threads: 93
Joined: October 23, 2022
Reputation:
8
Oaths
November 16, 2022 at 11:02 pm
I could not care less that the word “God” appears on US coins and currency. I *do* care that it appears by default in the oaths taken by courtroom witnesses, members of the military, and politicians.
The irony is that that Bible forbids such oaths:
James 5:12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
Posts: 17218
Threads: 462
Joined: March 29, 2015
Reputation:
30
RE: Oaths
November 17, 2022 at 7:41 am
I wouldn't get involved in what Bible commands because it has been shown over and over again that Bible says whatever one wants it to say. That's why some Christians can not imagine Christianity being valid if it doesn't have a pope in it while all others can not imagine Christianity being valid if it has a pope in it.
I mean, I am sure that there are some Christian denominations that don't allow their sheep to testify under oath because of what it says in the Bible, but are they the "real" Christians because of that?
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"