Presidential Oath on Bible? Not necessarily…John Quincy Adams objected that the Bible should only be used for religious functions so he swore the Oath of Office on a law book containing the Constitution. I ran across this on The Volokh Conspiracy, who had gotten it from a reader Pennywit, citing Donald Kennon of the US Capital Historical Society. My choice if faced with this conundrum? Bible, Constitution, UN Charter, or maybe the Koran? The symbolic point of a hand placed on the Bible is that the person vowing to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution is subjecting himself to an omniscient judgment of his fidelity to the oath. In essence; if I fail this earthly vow, I become subject to eternal damnation. How meaningful is a pledge against damnation if the taker of the oath doesn’t believe in hell? Many religions have a different concept of hell than that of the benevolent, forgiving, Christian God, who sacrificed his Son and through Whom all things are possible, but if you don’t accept that premise you will suffer unbearable agony for all eternity. What if the oath-taker doesn’t believe in God? Of if he is devoutly religious, what if he breaks the oath then is absolved through Confession? What if he believes the Constitution is in conflict with his religious principles? I guess I don’t see much significance in where the swearer puts his hand. My personal preference would be that he reinforces his focus on the Constitution by swearing on the Constitution itself. But I’ll acknowledge that there’s probably some value in the public perception that God will hold him accountable, whether or not he subscribes to that belief himself. If faced with where to put my hand when being sworn into the Presidency? I’ll request the Hebrew Bible, the Christian New Testament, the Koran, the Bhagavad Gita, a copy of the Constitution, and a modern physics textbook; all stacked in a neat pile. Which one represents universal truth? Well, only one can be tested in this life. Michael Previous: Scrap the Tax Code; Revamp Tax Philosophy -- Next: NASA Moon Camp? Warning Will Robinson! Comment from Michael Smith: Which will wind up more reaction, my suggestion of the Koran or the UN Charter? Posted by Michael Smith Dec 1, 12:54 PM # |
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