"So help me God"

by onacruse 35 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  onacruse

  Perhaps this belongs in another forum...but it just got to me today, watching the Rice confirmation hearings:

  A person stands in front of a jurisdictional body (congress, a court, a tribunal...), and swears by GOD to tell the truth.

  As an aside, after the testimony, they may well rent a taxi and pay the driver with a currency that says "In GOD we trust."

  Now, I've only once been called to testify in a court, and I was, at that time, more than willing to say "so help me god."

  Now, I'd have to decline to make that oath.

  Opinions?

  Craig
• 

  nicolaou

  Not sure if I'm on your wavelength but these days the fact that someone swears to tell the truth 'by Almighty God' means nothing to me. I would much rather hear "I give you my word that what I say now is the truth."

  Of course that is still no guarantee of honesty but it does at least put the onus where it belongs instead of offloading it onto some intangible deity that none of us could ever cross examine on the stand.
• 

  gumby

  Opinions you ask?

  Either go to therapy, start smoking weed, or drink more till you pass out and can't think about weird shit anymore.

  Gumby
• 

  frenchbabyface

  Opinion ???
  
  Give it away NOW ! (God or whatever ...)
• 

  onacruse

  "I swear to God that when I meet gumby I'll put a choke-hold on him like he's never had."

  LOL
• 

  LittleToe

  Stuff like this still gets your knickers in a bunch, huh?
  LOL
• 

  blondie

  Craig, I would check with the court system in your area and see what provisions they have regarding your feeling about taking that oath. You might end up excused to start with or you might find they have an alternative oath. I'm sure there are atheists in Oregon that find it distasteful too.

  http://www.ffrf.org/

  or the ACLU might be an information resource.

  Blondie
• 

  onacruse

  LT:

  Stuff like this still gets your knickers in a bunch, huh?
  LOL

  I don't wear knickers.

  What gets me is that somehow, saying those words, with your right hand raised, is supposed to add gravity and truthfulness to the testimony. Events of the last few years (and longer) prove that that oath means nothing, so why even have it?

  blondie:

  I'm sure there are atheists in Oregon that find it distasteful too.

  Simply for clarification: I'm not an atheist (as you well know ). As far as "distasteful"...hmmmm, interesting way to phrase it. How about 'nonfunctional'?
• 

  LittleToe

  Craig:
  We've already done that. It didn't seem to make much difference...
  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/19/72770/1164761/post.ashx#1164761
• 

  onacruse

  roflmao w/ Ross!

  Sorry we missed you last month...family stuff to do elsewhere.

  I'll ring you up this weekend, after I get done eating another 30 kg of sawdust at work.