Yes, I know. You have artfully avoided doing that, and that is all I was asking you to do. Without qualifying the commitment to the oath it really has no meaning. In a way, you have answered my original query by avoiding it.
I am not understanding what you're so het up about regarding this little transaction we're having. I'm not trying to dodge anything. I'm answering you as straight as I can. I'm telling you that I cannot imagine myself in a circumstance under which I would lie as a witness in a courtroom. I cannot say for certain that there is no circumstance under which I would lie, only that I cannot imagine one. I cannot imagine myself in a courtroom with my ex where my kids are at risk. I would never, ever be so stupid as to get into such a situation in the first place so I cannot imagine what I might do were I there. My assertion that I would not lie under oath based solely on ethics stands unqualified, but not absolute.
The "oath" has become relatively empty in regard to a standard meaning.
Probably, but then I'm not the one who made it so so don't take it out on me. Lots and lots of people lie under oath. Some do it casually, some only under duress. Since the vast majority of people in this country are religious, one can only conclude that the vast majority of liars are also religious. It is not the non-believers who have diminished the oath, although we have likely contributed.
Let's take another tack and look at the system. We have a system that depends upon truthful testimony but expects and tolerates lying. Fine kettle of fish. Does the issue at hand, whether people swear on the Bible or not, have any impact on that?
Seems to me that a front door with two locks is more secure than a front door with only one lock. And if you get your house wired with a security system it's even more secure. So it stands to reason that having people swear on a Bible will reduce the incidence of lying to some extent. It wouldn't stop it, but might make a dent. There are other things that would also make a dent that we don't do. I don't recall whether I read it someplace or we discussed it here but it seems that people are almost never charged with perjury. Seems to me that if we really wanted to stop lying on the stand, we would try some earthly enforcement rather than relying on the threat of heavenly enforcement. Perhaps what you're so het up about is the fact that the system apparently doesn't care as much about lying as you do.
Now, as for that woman lying under oath to save her kids, even a very religious woman might do that with the hope and expectation that God would forgive her for it. I think a just God would forgive a woman for dissing Him in order to save children from assault, don't you? |
