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'It’s true, I swear to...?'

Comments: 4

Hull, United Kingdom, Apr 13, 2006 / 12:00 am (CNA).- Officials in the northeast British city of Hull have created a legal oath for those who do not want to swear to God on the witness stand.

David Taylor, a Justice of the Peace in Hull told Magistrate magazine that “The oath as it stands introduces needless complexities due to its religious dimension. The point that should surely be underlined in the oath is the very real prospect of a charge of perjury for lying under oath if discovered.”

He added that “Such an oath would surely be much more ‘fit for purpose’ than the present archaic one, and would dispense with the affirmation too.”

According to the London Times, a spokesperson for the Judicial Communications Office said that “Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But there are two distinct oaths — the religious and secular.”

“Because religion is such an important part of some people’s lives it may be important for them to select the religious oath.”

Some critics of the new oath charge however that the move is simply one more shift toward the secularization of society and the removal of God from public life.

Comments: 4

Subscriber comments:

Published by: Dee
usa 06/19/2006 04:01 PM EST

There is no reason to restrict "oaths" to the involvement of God. If I swear by my grandmother, and she hears that I swore to something untrue, I'd hear about it! And I would not have offended God in doing so. Likewise, in medeival times many knights and such swore by whatever specific saint they held dear, and their own brethren within their orders would make them answer for any abuse of their brotherly oath.

Oaths are not religious, but are psychological. Many strong Christians including strong Catholics do not adhere to oath-taking in a secular setting because there are many Scriptures that can be interpreted to prohibit it. The Bible says, simply, "Let your yes be yes and your no be no".

Published by: Carson Weber
Brenham, TX 04/15/2006 12:08 PM EST

To David Taylor, the Justice of the Peace:

"But what if the perjury is not discovered? Who delivers justice to the perjurer?"

Oaths exist for the sole purpose that they invoke the blessing and curse of Almighty God.

When you take God out of the situation, you don't have an oath. You have a promise.

Get with the program.

Published by: Ebo
Scotland 04/15/2006 06:44 AM EST

In Scotland's courts, witnesses have long been able to swear and oath or make an affirmation as an alternative.

Published by: Pat V
USA 04/14/2006 11:18 PM EST

An oath, by it's very nature, is religious. An oath is the calling on God, as the All-Knowing Judge, to be a witness, and pledge of the truth that a person declares. There can be no such thing as a secular oath.

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