The Use of the Bible in Modern Court System: A Critique of the Appropriateness of the Practice

The Use of the Bible in Modern Court System: A Critique of the Appropriateness of the Practice

Abraham Nortey

Issue: Vol.10 No. 12 November 2024 Issue Article 1 pp.405-412
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.202410121 | Published online 28th November, 2024.
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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ABSTRACT

The study examines the practice of using the Bible to swear in the law court. It exposes biblical texts that speak about swearing of oath and taking vows. Since this is an ongoing debate, the paper raises scholarly opinions that support and speak against the practices by examining their theological basis for doing so. The goal of this research is to highlight the consequences associated with swearing with a sacred book considered the words of a just God. The research is a literary one. It uses textual analyses of selected biblical passages and critiques various theological positions on the subject by some selected denominations and theologians to propose a review of the practice. Specific attention will be given to key but controversial biblical passages in Genesis 24: 2-3, Matthew 5:34-37 and James 5:12 on oath- taking that has generated varied responses. The study establishes that for the Bible to be used in court the lawmakers should establish their position on certain biblical laws on crime and their implications by working hand in hand with God-fearing theologians. Once such statements of faith are added to the laws or constitution it will authenticate the need to use the bible to swear. The researcher has observed that since the judgment of court cases do not impinge on the content of the Bible, the practice is not helpful in adjudication. It rather ends up profaning the name of God in case witnesses lie in court. One would therefore propose that those who are occupying office for the first time could swear with the Bible as a way of asking God to help them discharge their functions well.

Keywords: Oath, Vow, Swearing, Compurgation, Perjury, Lollards, Modern Court

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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AUTHOR(S)

Abraham Nortey is a Lecturer at Pentecost University and serves as a Pastor of the church of Pentecost. He teaches various courses related to the Old Testament at Pentecost University. Previously, he worked as Teaching Assistant and Demonstrator at the Cape-Coast University from 2012 to 2015 and held a position as a part-time lecturer at St. Nicholas Anglican Seminary, Aquarium in Cape -Coast from 2015 to 2016. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Religion & Human Values and History, from the University of Cape- Coast; a Master Degree in Classical Hebrew from Holy Land University in Jerusalem, Israel and an M.Phil in Old Testament Studies, also from university of Cape-Coast. He has recently published one article on “The works of the Spirit of God in Public Leadership: Selected Readings from the Old Testament, in Pentecost Journal of Theology and Mission.

TO CITE ARTICLE

Nortey, Abraham. “The Use of the Bible in Modern Court System: A Critique of the Appropriateness of the Practice,” E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies, 10 no.12 (2024): 405-412. https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.202410121