[Capitalist]

When swearing to tell the truth before giving evidence in court must you place your hand on a Bible? Can you place your hand on the religious text of the religion you follow? What happens if you are an atheist?

[Apollos]

Myself I won't swear on the Bible. I would say "I testify to you that the things I say will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

I do not approve of swearing by the scriptures, but it is a matter of liberty, and I think that people should be allowed to swear on it or swear on something else as they please.

[Korimyr the Rat]

I would imagine that there are alternatives available, and that these would be discussed before you'd ever be called as a witness. Whichever counsel is intending to use your testimony would obviously like to avoid causing a scene.

I'm highly uncomfortable with the idea of swearing an oath before testifying in court, since I believe that sworn oaths are spiritually binding. I'm not afraid of breaking the law when necessary, but breaking my sworn oath...

[Boondock Saint]

Since I believe in no gods I'll swear on any holy text out there, I don't care.

I have no problem taking an oath and abiding by said oath. I fear no justice.

[C-Kokos]

If you are an atheist in Greece, you are asked to testify "by conscience".

[Boondock Saint]

If you are an atheist in Greece, you are asked to testify "by conscience".

Why do I have a conscience anyway? All it ever does is fuck with me.

[Goranhammer]

Oaths aren't divine. Hippocrates wasn't the god of medicine.

I don't think it should be required to swear an oath with a hand on the Bible, because I don't think that this would deter most people. It would only affect the most devout, which are hesitant to lie in the first place.

[Maxim Litvinov]

Can you place your hand on the religious text of the religion you follow? What happens if you are an atheist?

Yes. There are all sorts of oaths you can swear, Capitalist.

My father's a judge so people are sworn in before him all the time. Muslims, for instance, swear on a Koran, but there have been problems in the past - you can't use a Koran that's been touched by a non-believer, so they have to be careful in handling it. I believe the strangest oath they have on file requires two live birds to have their necks broken, although I'm not sure that this one's been done in New South Wales courts yet.

Atheists just say they'll tell the truth, as far as I know.

[Korimyr the Rat]

I don't need an object-- sacred or otherwise-- to swear an oath, but I can't swear an oath on an object sacred to another faith.

Since the courts are of most interest to Tyr, raising my right hand when swearing an oath is more than enough.

[Boondock Saint]

I believe the strangest oath they have on file requires two live birds to have their necks broken, although I'm not sure that this one's been done in New South Wales courts yet.

OH FUCK! I want that one!

[Vivisekt]

Since I believe in no gods I'll swear on any holy text out there, I don't care.

Yeah, I was going to post the same thing. I'll swear on whatever they offer up, I really don't give a shit. The entire 'oath' process is just bit of traditional ceremony; all that would really need to happen is for the judge to tell the witness that he or she is legally culpable for what is said whilst acting in that capacity. The 'oath' that I'm really taking is something along the lines of: "I am reasonably afraid of being abused by your automatic weapons and superior numbers, therefore I will comply with the authority these things grant you."

[norman the carpet]

In the west it's just a leftover from the time when people really believed that God was watching them and that if they swore an oath and then lied they'd be sorted out in the next world. It was also important because early English legal systems put a lot of weight on the testimony of free men who took the oath, they didn't worry too much about more objective evidence but would take the word of a man sworn to tell the truth. I don't know why any system bothers with it nowadays because prosecutions for perjury aren't that common (it's more satisfying to lock someone up for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice). But in most jurisdictions (in the west anyway) you can solemnly attest rather than swear the oath if you're not religious.

Interesting point about the Koran Maxim, my ex was a solicitor in NSW and she told me that non-believers, eg the depositions clerk handing the Koran to a Muslim witness, were instructed to wrap it in clingwrap.

[The American Lion]

Well most of this stuff comes from traditions dateing from the middle ages. Where courts were decied by the church.

Its that we just like keeping traditions.

Also your not forces to use a bible.

Here are some examples of oaths (Non Christian) from Queensland.

http://www.justice.qld.gov.au/education ... ness.htm#3