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It's time to set the old Bible aside for swearing-in ceremonies and courtrooms. America is a special country. It has a wonderful history based on freedom and justice, and the noble deeds of American heroes. We, as Americans, have special ceremonies and rituals that dignify our government and our institutions. We can attend and watch swearing-in ceremonies for our President, our judges, state officials, and even our local mayors as they promise to do their duty and uphold our constitution. In courtrooms juries are sworn in, and witnesses are asked to swear that they will tell the truth. These miniature ceremonies focus our attention on the importance of the activity to follow, and remind each of us to do our duty.

In any ritual there are symbols that represent and reinforce the purpose behind the ceremony itself. For example, when we pledge allegiance to the flag we are pledging our allegiance to our country and our fellow citizens. The flag is a symbol of the country. When Christians perform the ritual of baptism for a child, they use water as the symbol for washing away original sin. When a couple gets married they exchange rings as symbols of their lasting commitment to one another.

For civil swearing-in ceremonies at many levels of government and all across America, the symbol has long been the Christian Bible. At the time of the founding of America, many citizens were Christian. In many colonial homes there may have been only that one book, a family Bible. It was used for many things, including recording the births, marriages and deaths that comprised a family's history. Widely read and familiar, the Bible contained many moral precepts including the Ten Commandments of Moses. One of these commandments was "Thou shall not bear false witness". Thus it was a logical choice as a symbol in civil ceremonies where people made a promise to do their duty or to tell the truth.

America has changed a lot over the last 230 years. As times change, the meaning and indeed the meaningfulness of some symbols has also changed. While there are still many Christians for whom the Bible is a good symbol, for many Americans it is just an old book with no special significance. Some new Americans have their own sacred books, such as the Koran or the Hindu Vedas. Some citizens with long roots in America, many American Indians and early Jewish immigrants, never were Christian. Even some descendants of traditional Christian Americans have abandoned that faith in favor of New Age faiths, Buddhism, secular humanism or no faith at all.

Thus the Bible, once a useful cultural symbol of duty and truth, has lost its meaning for many Americans. The time has come to set it aside, and replace it either with a simple oath or promise, or some new common symbol that all Americans can accept and recognize. Perhaps our leaders could swear on the Constitution itself, or by the flag; by Abe Lincoln's beard, or on a replica of the Liberty Bell. Whatever form or icon we choose, it must provide our country with the same commonly understood symbolism once provided by the Christian Bible.

Learn more about this author, Rob Drew.
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