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Originally Posted by Ustwo
Because its just a book, might as well have been swearing on a Cosmo magazine. If it makes other people feel you are going to tell the truth, who cares?
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Because it defeats the purpose of making an oath. I would rather, as Gilda suggests above, affirm. In fact, I asked my lawyer friend about this (for another post) and he says that there are many other options available to those who are not Christians. He has seen everything from simple non-religious affirmation to some Chinese oath involving a live chicken. Given that, it is no big deal to request that I not swear on a book I don't believe has any power or complete my vow with a "so help me God".
Court is a secular place... why muddy it with religion?
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Originally Posted by Ustwo
I took my marriage seriously, the wedding could have been in a public rest room for all the location mattered to me. My wife wanted a church wedding in her home town church even though she is not religious either. So why make a point of calling out the belief of my relatives and hers by insisting it not be in a church? I don't believe in their invisible friend in the sky, so to me its just a formal looking building. My wedding was between my wife and myself, and not on a foundation of hypocrisies. It took a lot less effort and upset a lot less people by just having in a church.
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Whatever works for you is great for you. I know people who have "converted" to another religion just to get married. The quotes are there to imply that there was no conversion taking place. It was all a sham just to make others happy.
I am not willing to compromise my principles to that extent.
I go to church once a year when we have a family reunion. The service also includes a special cemetery service where we walk the four corners of the cemetery and pay our respects to all of the ancestors (it is a small country church and a large part of my wife's extended family has been interred there). Out of respect to the family I attend. They know I don't believe and appreciate my attendance all the more because of it.
However, I expect the opposite to be true as well. If I am going to hold a celebration, such as my wedding, I do not expect to have to go through the trappings of a religion in which I have no belief. I do not expect to make vows before a God in which I do not believe. I expect my family and my wife's to respect this decision.
Turns out all but one branch of the family wanted to attend regardless of our decision to not include God... including the Anglican Minister.
To be honest there were a few ruffled feathers but when we took the time to explain our position they were quickly smoothed over.