Jonathan Turley: The truth about oaths

[babylonsister]

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/01/the_truth_about.html

The truth about oaths

Use the Bible, the Quran, or nothing at all? The dust-up over the first Muslim congressman sheds light on what it means to be an American.

By Jonathan Turley

snip//


About that oath

Both Prager and his allies show how intolerance is often based on ignorance. First, all members are actually sworn in at the same time using a generic oath that ends with "so help me God." The Bibles are pulled out for a later, purely ceremonial event for some members. Second, if Wildmon's law were passed, it would clearly violate Article VI of the Constitution, which states that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."

Third, it is entirely untrue that, as Prager claims, the use of a non-Bible would be "the first break of the tradition of having a Bible present at a ceremony of installation of a public official since George Washington inaugurated the tradition." Presidents such as John Quincy Adams, Theodore Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover opted not to use the Bible (Adams used a legal book). Franklin Pierce declined to take a sworn oath at all and instead simply affirmed. Likewise, other members have foregone the Christian Bible. As recently as 2005, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., used a Tanakh, a Hebrew Bible without the New Testament, to be sworn into office.

Nevertheless, Prager insists "if Keith Ellison is allowed to change that, he will be doing more damage to the unity of America and to the value system that has formed this country than the terrorists of 9/11." Another possibility: that Prager and his allies are doing the greatest damage to the unity of America by fostering religious divisions and promoting prejudice as principle.

Just as fascism is the ugly face of nationalist politics, Judeo-Christofascism is the ugly face of faith-based politics. When Ellison takes the oath with his hand on Thomas Jefferson's copy of the Quran, he will reaffirm our most basic values as a country and, in a single elegant moment, defeat those who use but do not live the tenets of faith.

Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University and a member of USA TODAY's board of contributors.

[bleever]

1. Happy to provide the first recommendation.

It was Thomas Jefferson's Koran, for crying out loud.

[Maccagirl]

2. Turley has been on fire lately

I wonder if he's reconsidered his outrage at L'affaire Lewinsky considering what the Bush Cabal has been getting away with since '01.

[Cassandra]

3. As much as I appreciate Turley now...

I can't forget his endless outrage over a blowjob. It seems really childish now.

[silverweb]

4. Well said.

Thank you, Professor Turley! I am truly disgusted, sick, and deathly tired of the many ignorant bigots in our nation.