Should THE OATH be changed

i read that in some places, if you are an athiest, they make you cross your fingers.

btw, culture and religion are different things.

 

you can take the oaths on other religious texts.

and you can also take an affirmation which doesn't use any religious texts/oaths to 'god's.

 

I would think that most people tell the truth for fear of the consequences of perjury rather than God being upset with them.

I guess they could have the witnesses put their hand on a piece of paper that clearly states the jailtime you will serve if you get caught lying.

 

Seems to me like a great idea. That way, there's no ambiguity about the whole thing.

As for RR's original question, I(an atheist) would have no problem lying in court if the only penalty was whatever God decides to bestow on me. If I ever had to testify in court, I'd probably tell the judge something like "I don't need to swear on anything, since I know full well what may happen if I lie, and someone finds out about it."

 

yeah..you can choose to swear on nothing, if you wish.

for some the symbol is important...for others, it's not. either way, if you lie you're subject to perjury charges.