'So Help Me God' No More: Democrats Give House Traditions a Makeover

[yortsed snacilbuper]

In the House of Representatives, to the winner go the spoils, and Democrats, the new decision makers, control everything, including what legislation gets a vote and the minutia of procedural choices, such as whether witnesses must utter the traditional plea for divine aid. Democratic chairmen and chairwomen of several key committees have deemed no such entreaty is necessary.

link

Get rid of all that idiotic supernatural crap.

Al

[Firestorm49]

1. ..................(clever handle)

[Lucky Luciano]

2. "Eldnah revelc" I think you mean! nt

[Wounded Bear]

3. The oath of office in the Constitution makes no such requirement...

Nor should we. If your word is no good unless "God" enforces it, how good can it be?

And worse, if you lie even though you "swore before God" that you wouldn't, how good are you?

If you're a liar, God won't scare you into telling the truth.

[FiveGoodMen]

6. They should read their own book

33Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ 34But I tell you not to swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35or by the earth, for it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36Nor should you swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ Anything more comes from the evil one.

[emphasis mine]

https://biblehub.com/bsb/matthew/5.htm

[Wounded Bear]

7. Yeah, well, you know how that works, right?

[HAB911]

4. +++++++++++

[femmedem]

5. Praise dog!

That takes courage, and it's the right thing to do. I am not religious and I feel hypocritical and ashamed when I'm required to (or give in to pressure to) say those words.

[csziggy]

18. When I was on a jury and had to be sworn in I refused to say those words

Instead I was just sworn with no appeal to an imaginary sky being. No one objected once I made my preferences known.

[femmedem]

19. I will remember that and do the same if I ever need to be sworn in!

I'm glad it isn't mandatory.

[csziggy]

20. It may be different from state to state

Or even court to court.

I'm in Florida so it may be different now than it was a few years ago when I served on the jury. They have since passed a law requiring "In God We Trust" in every classroom."

[bitterross]

8. I'm an atheist. I would refuse to utter "So help me god"

I would refuse to utter those words and cite the 1st Amendment and the intent of Article VI, Clause 3 about religious tests. If my word alone is not good enough, uttering a phrase to a deity in whom I do not believe is not going to make it better.

[barbtries]

10. see below.

i won't say that either. i don't believe in god, don't think for a minute that the bible is a sacred book, and my word is good without that crap. because I'm a good person.

[barbtries]

9. i've recently taken to watching trials on tv

some courtrooms have dispensed with the bible and "so help me etc" and it's quite refreshing. in NC to become a Notary Public you have to make an oath. when I do i just say "I will attest" and the bible goes back in its place. no one ever gave me a sideways look yet.

[MineralMan]

12. The line is: "I will affirm my oath."

If you are presented with a Bible and asked to swear an oath, simply say, "I will affirm my oath." That should get the Bible removed along with the words, "So help me God." If it does not, you can restate your affirmation.

Few places will reject your affirmation these days.

[barbtries]

13. the only example i have

is when i took the oath for my notary certificate, but that was my experience. thank you for pointing out the correct word. i'm getting old.

[MineralMan]

14. I first used that line when I enlisted in the USAF in 1965.

Nobody blinked an eye at it. In fact, "affirm" is written into the oath as an option. The officer who administered the oath said, "No problem. You can just omit the "so help me God" business at the end.

"No religious test..."

The United States of America is a secular nation. People are free to worship whatever they choose, or not to worship at all.

[bitterross]

15. Thanks for this information

I will remember this to use when it becomes necessary.

[Cold War Spook]

11. Jephthah

Do not swear an oath to God. I was at the Baptist church one Sunday when a man asked why didn't Abraham have to sacrifice his son, but Jephthah did have sacrifice his daughter. Being the only Jew there, except for the one they were praying to, I was asked to explain the difference. Won't go into details here, but simply Abraham did not swear an oath, but Jephthah did.

[lambchopp59]

16. Not only dated but so corrupted, esp. by re-thugs

"God told me to invade Iraq" should have been impeachable words.
It's the last great fall back of the corrupt- incite existential horror when no real threat exists.
It's a hand that's been played so often it wore off, now in the world of "alternative facts"...
Hell, I believe the Orange Assclown could just shout "Do it to protect my god-given greed" and his MAGA's would support it even if it meant a vienna sausage diet for a year for each of them.
There are times I wish there was some benevolent god, surely some divine intervention would have usurped:
"Sorry losers and haters, but my I.Q. is one of the highest -and you all know it! Please don't feel so stupid or insecure,it's not your fault."

[yortsed snacilbuper]

17. Ohio governor takes oath on nine bibles?