How do you get sworn in when testifying before Congress if you don't believe in god ???

[SamKnause]

Grassley has been swearing in the witnesses;

He asks them to raise their right hands.

Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you god ???

[brooklynite]

1. You request (probably in advance) to make an affirmation.

[marybourg]

9. Wken I took a federal oath, the script was:

"I hereby swear or affirm . . ." No prearrangement needed.

[brooklynite]

10. Yes, but if someone is going to administer the oath/affirmation to you...

...you can request they give you the affirmation form.

[hlthe2b]

2. Same way you use money that is imprinted with "In God We Trust"

some things you just have to ignore, I guess.

[MontanaMama]

3. Always wondered that myself.

If someone doesn't believe in a god, what does it say about the oath itself?

[Eliot Rosewater]

4. Or if you are sworn in then you lie repeatedly, like the nominee has done.

[Aristus]

5. You can 'affirm', rather than 'swear', and you can omit the 'so help me God'.

But the oath is still legally binding.

[lapfog_1]

7. Even when the President is inaugurated

he or she does NOT have to swear on a bible...

you can use a stack of Big 'ems magazines if you want ( if you are Al Bundy or Donald Trump)

[PJMcK]

11. Trump reportedly wanted to use "The Art of the Deal" (n/t)

[lapfog_1]

19. ah yes, the narcissism...

how appropriate.

[sfwriter]

6. I place my hand on a copy of Carl Sagan's Cosmos.

[rsdsharp]

8. Bruce Braley was right when he said that if Joni Ernst was elected senator,

an Iowa farmer would be chair of the Judiciary Committee. Unfortunately, Grassley isn't a very bright Iowa farmer.

I doubt that is how the oath is to be administered. In every courtroom I've ever been in the oath is:

"Do you solemnly swear, or affirm, to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."

In more than thirty years of trial practice, I've only heard "So help you, God" appended to it once, and that was when the judge was swearing in the head of the local Operation Rescue chapter in an action for injunctive relief brought by Planned Parenthood.

Despite this fact, TV and movies routinely use the reference to God in courtroom scenes, and often have witnesses swearing on the Bible. It doesn't happen.

But Chuck doesn't know that.

[unblock]

12. Chuck knows damn well.

But there's politics to be had, and he's gonna throw a bone to the religious crowd....

[ProfessorGAC]

14. My Experience As Well

I've testified as an expert witness in 3 federal trials. (Antitrust type of stuff.)

No bible, no "so help my god" any of the three times. All three times, the testimony spanned overnight, and all that was said the next day was "You're aware you're still under oath?" I said yes, and off we went.

[qazplm135]

13. you can swear OR affirm

either works.

[SamKnause]

15. Thank you all for your input.

[rusty fender]

16. Presidents and federally elected officials should

be sworn in on a copy of The Constitution. No publicly elected official anywhere in this country should ever be asked to affirm an oath to to a god. We are not a theocracy

[Nitram]

17. I always mumble "so help me dog."

[Towlie]

18. What does "so help me God" mean, anyway? Does it mean "therefore assist me, deity"?

If it means "therefore assist me, deity" then it's an order to the deity to assist you in telling the truth, which would mean that if you don't tell the truth then it's not your fault, it's the fault of the deity who didn't obey your order.

But seriously, the point of taking an oath is to reinforce your credibility, therefore if you want people to have confidence in your testimony then you might as well comply with whatever meaningless ritual they demand. The oath is for their sake, not yours.