Has swearing on the Bible ever been tried in court?

Answer 1

No. You may be sworn in by taking a sacred oath that binds your conscience, for example by swearing on The Bible, or you may affirm or promise to tell the truth without religious belief.-from http://www.plea.org/freepubs/bwc/witness.htm

It is optional. You can just promise to tell the truth.

Answer 2

No not Yet anyway

Added: (in the US) Actually the practice of swearing-in witnesses by having them place their right hand on the Bible as they swore an oath to tell the truth was quite common. It has since fallen out of favor and I feel pretty safe in saying that it is probably not used anywhere in the US judicial system in this day and age.

Answer 3

Witnesses in court are frequently called upon to make oaths or affirmations to the the truth in their testimony. The courts themselves will enforce this requirement and decide the appropriate punishment for untruthful testimony, but it is also traditional to make the oath a religious one, to affirm in the mind of the witness the absolute need to be open and honest in all statements made. The Bible serves as a reminder of that religious obligation.

Those whose religion or personal beliefs do not permit making a religious oath on the Bible can simply make an affirmation, which has exactly the same force in law.

Answer 4

Yes, today I watched our new mayor, city clerk and 4 new city council members sworn in. Every one had their hand on a bible while taking their oath.

Added: Were the Mayor, Clerk, and Council Members sworn-in in a COURT proceeding? If so they were probably Christian believers, and may have chosen to give their oath on the Bible.

HOWEVER - (in the US) in both criminal and civil court proceedings this practice has fallen into disuse because of the fact that many witnesses espouse no religious faith, or a faith other than Christianity. The virtually universal custom now is simply to swear on your own oath to testify truthfully.

Answer 5

Yes and no. In the United States, before you testify, you have the option of swearing on a Bible, or if you prefer, you can simply "affirm" (pledge) that you will tell the truth. In earlier times, only a Bible oath was used, because there was a myth that only religious people would be honest. But as the United States became more multicultural and diverse, attitudes towards secular people, atheists, agnostics, and members of minority religions became more tolerant. Thus, the courts began to recognize either swearing or affirming. In either case, the person makes a vow to be truthful. As for other countries, many are now following this modern custom of giving the person the option of swearing on a Bible or making a pledge to be truthful. However, countries that still are very religious or practice a theocratic form of government still require that a person swear on a copy of the holy book before testifying.

Answer 6

"do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

I do
------or------
I don't (not very common)