Did I swear on a Bible? Yes, the Bible was out. Did each one of us swear individually? No. My focus was not on the Bible but that once I swore, I could practice law. Finally, I was a lawyer. People-pleasing and staying up late into the night for many years was over. I thought a rainbow would appear in the courtroom and angels would sing, "Alleulia,"
It was no big deal. We all suffered so much for this brief moment. It was a long time ago. Some clerk brought out a massive Bible, we had to something with the Bible that I cannot recall accurately, and then we had to raise one hand and repeat the words. It was very similar to when a Supreme Court justice is sworn-in. So far as I know, even the most agnostic and atheist justices always use the Bible as a prop. I do have a hunch, though, that lesser federal judges may have refused.
Classmates of mine who were atheists did not object. Hey, after what I endured, they could bring out hard core porno books and I would swear. The only reason I still have a recollection is b/c of my Witness past. Besides, other people knew me. I could not suddenly become a religous spokesperson. It would be unconst'l for a state to make anyone swear on a Bible, esp. with a NT in it. If I recall correctly, they did not even tell us we had an alternative. Nevertheless, I am certain everyone present knew we had other options.
The people admininstering the oath are not religious nuts. They could not care less what law grads swear on. The Supreme Court allows certain displays of the Ten Commandments in public places b/c they are a prop. They are no longer religious but serve as symbols of good manners and niceness. The Bible was not a Bible bible. It was merely a prop to mark the ceremony. My classmates could not tell you what was in the Bible. My mind was wondering about Witnesses but the Bible's presence served to make our commitment more emotionally based.
Of course, no one ever asks whether you first have to use all available civil routes before throwing a grenade or exploding a bomb. There is no precise definition of defending. I practice const'l law. What is const'l law today may be unconst'l tmw. I would go with the flow in most cases. Because we studied the justices in Rhodesia, I was willing to swear on a Bible. They did the same thing. In fact, they were British so I imagine they had even cooler history and ceremonies to stress the importance of the oath. Not one of them decided to die.
If September 11th happened, I would die if I had to do so. Some principles are worthy dying for. Others are not worth your life. We know this keenly. How many of us knows an actual person who chose to die early for the blood doctrine? Heck, my own family lines up to go to prison. They are not bitter. I am. They earned special duper Witness status. Which generation doctrine were you willing to die for? It is funny and so sad. Frankly, I only know a few Witnesses in my generation who paid a drastic price. My mom, though, knew people who sold their assets because Armageddon was coming way before 1975. They had nothing. What about the hemophiliacs and the fractions? My head was spinning that day. Most of all, though, I thanked God that it was my past history. I was in the present celebrating my admission.
I would swear on the Koran, the Torah, a Wiccan thing, a voodoo doll, the Bhagavad Gita, you name it. I will swear.
...OUTLAW