is there any point of getting an athiest to swear on the bible in court?

Answer 1

Yeah it might help him to work off steam hehe!

Answer 2

It's all a formality. Even if you don't believe in the Bible, you can still be prosecuted for perjury.

The Bible is just an extra fear tactic. Since Christianity is the dominant religion in America, the courts can further frighten witnesses into telling the truth. Now, not only do you have the risk of jail time, but you risk defying God if you lie in court.

From what I understand, an atheist can refuse the swear on the Bible on religious grounds. However, considering the unmitigated bigotry against non-Christians in America, an atheist risks angering the jury with what could be construed as defiance. One thing you don't want to do is to have the jury turn on you in court.

So, there is one benefit of an atheist swearing on the Bible: You are viewed as equally as any other witness.

Answer 3

Quite frankly no. It may be better to get athiests or agnostics to swear on all they hold dear and people of other religions to swear on their holy books.
Having said that athiests, christians, etc have all lied in court under oath, so it is maybe best to abolish the rule and just warn about the penalties for perjury

Answer 4

I dont think there is as i wouldn't care about lying to the bible! However, i would still be bothered about purgory and the fact that if you get caught lying under oath you can go to prison yourself. But they should make you swear on your own freedom. That is what is really at stake if you do lie. Plus if you are religious anyway you wouldn't need to swear on the bible as you shouldn't be lying anyway as you would believe that god would punish you for it. However, there are always going to be people who take the chance and lie under oath and some will get away with it. I think its more of a tradition now rather than anything else.

Answer 5

There's no point to having ANYONE swear on the Bible. It should not even be allowedin US courts, as this supports on brand of religion over another, a violation of the constitution.

Answer 6

No, No, No. But it's done anyway. Besides, everyone could claim to be an athiest, and never swear on the Bible, then where would we be?

Answer 7

Hah! I asked a similar question once.

I'm not sure....the bible wouldn't have any actual meaning for me. So I wouldn't feel compelled to tell the truth.

I just don't know. Except....I'd swear I read somewhere that except on tv, you don't swear on the bible in court anymore.

Answer 8

You don't have to. You can swear on the book of your religion if you are not a christian and if you are an atheist you can Affirm, which basically means you swear just not to God. Its all crap anyway though isn't it? They are either gonna lie or tell the truth whether or not they have a bible in front of them!

Answer 9

Nope and if you state that you are an athiest they dont ask you to swear on the bible.

Answer 10

As I have already stated on the subject of atheism, their is no such thing as an atheist, because in a life or death experience, everyone turns to God. So, they may claim to be an atheist, but they still worship other material things, they just don't realise it. So it is important to go by God's law, after all, that is what this country was founded on, the Christian Faith.

Answer 11

As an atheist, you may nevertheless be required to tell the fact. in any different case, it relatively is perjury and you need to circulate to penal complex for it. it sounds as though that the bible is in basic terms a convention interior the courtroom, yet all absolutely everyone seems to be subject to telling the fact on the stand.