The use of the Bible as an instrument by which to swear oaths of office and justify true testimony in courtrooms simply does not work in today's modern society and should therefore be disbanded. The Bible deserves our utmost respect and consideration as the Holy Word of God, and for this reason, I do not believe it should be used as some kind of device to extract promises of good faith from people. You can rely on the truth statements contained in the Bible, but not so much truth from those who place their hands upon it while swearing an oath. If a person is not truthful or committed while swearing in, especially if they are swearing an oath by God, they will simply bring condemnation upon themselves, a situation which is best avoided.
There are other conflicting matters to consider. We live in a very diverse society now where there are a myriad of religious and cultural belief systems. Perhaps the person would prefer to use the Koran, Vedas, Torah, Book of Mormon or any other number of both religious and nonreligious texts. Did you know that we have several members of Congress now who claim to be nonChristian or Unitarian? What about those who profess a religion, but do not accept the propriety of swearing an oath, such as Jehovah Witnesses?
An oath is a solemn appeal to God or a way of attesting the truth of one's word. It also implies the inviolability of a promise or the affirmation of a promise made. It is the attestation to the truth of one's word. Sometimes the term oath is used in the opposite context, such as a careless or blasphemous use of the name of a divine being such as using the Lord's name in vain. When we look at the Bible itself, we see many examples of oaths made especially in prophetic expression, like "As the Lord lives" (1 Sam. 19:6), "God judge between us" (Gen 31:53), "I call God as witness" (2 Cor. 1:23). Oaths can be used to confirm a covenant and we see examples of that on legal documents which are notarized by people of good ethics and character. Oaths can establish truth, such as in courtrooms when they ask you to raise your right hand and swear that the testimony you are about to give is "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God."
We are also told in the Bible that sometimes oaths are obligatory (Num. 30:2), such as vows to God or binding obligations. The person is expected to "do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth." I think of marriage ceremonies and charitable donation pledges falling under this category. You can quickly see that it is not uncommon for marriages to fail despite one's best intentions and keeping financial obligations may meet up with unforeseen and unexpected circumstances over time. Even the charitable organizations would expect you to buy groceries and pay your rent before giving what you simply do not have to spare. True believers understand that giving and truth-telling always come with blessings and rewards, despite the situation, but it simply may not be practical or logical during an immediate crisis.
One of the most puzzling examples of an oath in the Bible is Jesus' reply to Caiaphas the high priest at Matthew 26:63. Brought before the highest religious court of its time, Jesus "kept silent." However, Caiaphas "adjured" him "by the living God" to tell whether he was the Christ, the "Son of God." Jesus then said to him, "You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven." In essence, Jesus made a promise to Caiaphas, which the high priest took as blasphemy. There are two points here to remember. First, Jesus himself made a kind of oath. The truth or falsity of that oath to Caiaphas, only Caiaphas will be able to answer. Of course, Christian believers accept that Jesus is and was as good as His word, especially when taking an oath based upon the Trinity. Although the Bible had not yet been written and complied, we do not see Caiaphas here bringing forth any scrolls or other documents as props to support swearing an oath before God.
It used to be that people were only as good as their word. Unfortunately that kind of ethical acceptance has gone the way of the horse and buggy. The Bible could continue to be used as a buttress for oaths sworn in public arenas, but unfortunately, the weight of carrying out the promises made would be philosophically situational or morally relative; two occurrences which are dreaded by those who love the truth and those who swear by it. Although we may not like it, simply put we cannot count on the truth of any oath-taker any longer; especially if the oath-taker has no concept, belief or respect in the sanctity of swearing an oath on the Bible. Even President Obama took the oath twice, one with the Bible and one without.