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What can I do if I am forced to swear on a Bible by a magistrate?
I work in loss prevention and was down at a magistrates office where I was told that I must put my hand on the Bible and "swear" what I said was true. After notifying the magistrate that I was an Atheist, she proceeded to tell me that I may "affirm" but still had to place my hand on the Bible to do so. I then asked what she would do if a Muslim were to give an oath; her statement then was, "Well I have never had that come up." So I was forced to place my hand on the Bible anyway or I could kiss my warrant good bye. What can be done legally to assure this practice is not imposed on others?
3 Answers
- ?Lv 59 years agoFavourite answer
Are you crazy? That was your golden ticket. "Do you swear on this bible...". You could have said "Yeah, sure, why not?" Then, since you don't believe in any of that crap, you could lie all you wanted. Why not? Their whole religion is a foundation of lies. You would of had no obligation to tell the truth. That was a huge loophole you could have exploited, but you missed it.
- 9 years ago
These days this practice is more symbolic than anything else, that's point 1. Point 2, Our country and laws are founded on Christian principles, you may be atheist but should you not tell the truth and respect the traditions and laws that still make the USA the best system in the entire world?
Source(s): Commonsense and respect. - ?Lv 59 years ago
You could bring the matter up in a petition to get it modified, that way those of different faiths, or those that do not follow a faith don't have to conform to a Christian practice.
