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Hi all – there is a bible verse that goes as follows;
“But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne”
For years I have wondered about this in terms of when a person goes to court. It’s a bit of a downer if it includes swearing on the Bible – but wouldn’t that be included as well logically? – or was the saying in a specific context as many are? Perhaps it’s a daft question as I know we’re not supposed to be legalistic. Has anyone researched or had any thoughts on this I’d be interested.
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Matthew 5:37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
James 4:15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
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Only a liar has to swear. Years ago, before Madelyn Murray Ohare and the other atheists kicked God out of the courtrooms, people were afraid to lie and especially if they swore to God not to lie. Jesus says not to swear by things you have no power over anyway. When you get married there used to be wedding vows that established the authority in the family and ended most arguments before they began. Many men abused that authority and lost their respect and many women never intended to keep their vows in the first place. Vows and oaths only work for honest people who don’t need them.
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I was intrigued by the history and behaviour of the Friends or Quakers until I saw in every meeting I visited no longer any presence of the Gospel. However, despite the poor spiritual witness I experienced in the many Quaker meetings I have considered as a confessing, committed Christian/Believer what our Lord says in Matthew 5:34–5:37 and have concluded I would still choose to express affirmation rather than to swear on/by the Bible (or any such instrument). In Matthew 5:34–5:37 it reads, ‘I say to you, don’t use an oath at all. Don’t swear by Heaven for it is God’s throne, nor by the earth for it is His footstool, nor by Jerusalem for it is the city of the Great King. No, and don’t swear by your own head, for you cannot make a single hair—white or black! Whatever you have to say let your ‘yes’ be a plain ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ a plain ‘no’—anything more than this has a taint of evil’ (J.B. Phillips).
Wikipedia reports on this: ‘A right to give an affirmation has existed in English law since the Quakers Act 1695 (An Act that the Solemne Affirmation & Declaration of the People called Quakers shall be accepted instead of an Oath in the usual Forme; 7 & 8 Will. 3 c. 34) was passed. The text of the affirmation was the following: “I ___ do declare in the Presence of Almighty God the Witnesse of the Truth of what I say”.[1] The right to give an affirmation is now embodied in the Oaths Act 1978, c.19,[2] which prescribes the following form: “I, do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm” and then proceed with the words of the oath prescribed by law, omitting any words of imprecation or calling to witness.[2]
‘It has its origins in the refusal of Quakers to swear any oath, which would otherwise have barred them from many public positions. Quakers believe in speaking the truth at all times and so they consider the act of swearing to truth only in court rather than in everyday life implies double standards. As in James 5:12, they tried to “let your yea be yea and your nay be nay”.
‘The cause for such a right is exemplified R v William Brayn (1678). William Brayn was charged with the theft of a horse from Quaker Ambros Galloway. Brayn pleaded “not guilty”. One witness testified that the horse was owned by Ambros Galloway, and another witness said that he [probably Galloway] bought it from Brayn. As Galloway was a Quaker, he would not, “for conscience-sake”, swear and so could give no testimony. The court directed the jury to find Brayn ‘not guilty’ for want of evidence and committed the Quaker “as a concealer of Felony” for “refusing an Oath to Witness for the King”.[3]
‘Some Christians, who may not be Quakers, refuse to swear oaths, based on Matthew 5:34–5:37.
‘All elected members of parliament must make an oath or affirmation to the Crown before they can take their seats.[4] MPs are asked which form they prefer to take with the statement “Swear or Affirm”, meaning swear an oath or make an affirmation.[5] The oath or affirmation may be made in Welsh, Gaelic, Cornish or English.’
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Interesting about the affirmation – never heard of that – so I’m not crazy then – I like this bit…
>>Quakers believe in speaking the truth at all times and so they consider the act of swearing to truth only in court rather than in everyday life implies double standards<< Never thought of that - true isn't it! Thanks for posting - I will refer to it when I forget 🙂
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My choice to go with affirming rather than swearing was about 30 years ago. I remember an event here in the States when I said I would affirm. The clerk who was assisting me looked strangely at me. I’ve been to many clerks in the UK and never had that very suspicious dubious look given for at any time. Affirming has always seemed a more truthful or honest choice for me, but I probably think too much about such things.
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In a UK court, you can make it so that you are “sworn in” with a question and just answer yes to show agreement.
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Interesting Thomas.. Stephen – I don’t think you are thinking too much. I’ve wondered about this for years but never got round to looking it up – often these things are buried and it takes too long with everything else we have to figure out. So this is great to know.
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Some more verses which I think are relevant:
Romans 1:9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you
Act 24:10 When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: “I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense.
Act 24:18 I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance.
Acts 23:1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” 2 At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”
Matthew 23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’
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Here’s another thing I have learned by personal experience. Every time I say that I will do anything, whether I swear or not, really makes no difference. All the power of Hell will try to make me out to be a liar. The best way for me to get anything done is to just do it before anyone or anything can stop me.
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