|
Post by baltimatt on Nov 12, 2019 13:59:31 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by WKDWZD on Nov 28, 2019 15:37:07 GMT -5
That's a question that I have always asked myself too.
|
|
|
Post by baltimatt on Nov 28, 2019 19:30:10 GMT -5
That's a question that I have always asked myself too. < psst ... they cherry pick their holy book>
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2019 6:24:48 GMT -5
I have a theory on this question.
I expect, first, that it is not a question of cherry-picking their holy book. Such a notion would imply that they are sufficiently familiar with the Bible to select this phrase from its body. Judging by the votes and actions of most (though not all) of our politicians on both sides of the aisle, I expect very few of them have so much as seen their Bible since they left whatever version of Sunday School they may have once attended.
I expect it is tradition more than anything. There was a time when swearing in on the Bible required the selection of a particular verse, something that meant a commitment to Christian living to the oath-taker and that by using that reference, the candidate was affirming his or her belief in the values of the Bible. Remember that such an oath usually ended with "So help me God", clearly a short prayer for divine assistance. The witnessing public, being more attuned at the time to the Bible's teachings, would have nodded wisely and had some sense of faith that the oath-taker would actually fulfill his word.
Of course, we have chased God from the public square now, so that affirmation, however sincere it may once have been, is no longer applicable in most cases. It is a token action and the oath-taker could as easily use the latest Superman comic graphic novel to take the oath.
|
|
|
Post by pickle20 on Nov 30, 2019 8:15:02 GMT -5
While I don’t believe displaying a bible leads to voter discrimination I don’t believe it has any place at voting or polling places. If anything it would cause voters to call into question the legitimacy of the handling of ballots.
|
|