Q&A Friday #54: Do You Have A Problem With Someone Taking An Oath Of Office On A Koran?

by John Hawkins | December 1, 2006 1:23 pm

Question: “Keith Ellison, the first American Muslim elected to Congress, has said that he will only take his oath of office on the Qur’an, not on the Bible. Do you have a problem with this?” — maledicta

Answer: Yes, I do, but it’s a moot point since the Democrats are going to allow it. Moreover, apparently this isn’t the first time people have used books other than the Bible[1] in an oath ceremony,

According to the Library of Congress, Theodore Roosevelt became the first and only president to take an oath without a Bible in 1901. In 1961, John F. Kennedy took his oath on a Catholic (Douay) version of the Bible. Several Jewish members of Congress have taken their oath on the Torah. Article VI of the Constitution specifies that “… no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”

Since that’s the case, I don’t see a point of making too big of a deal out of it.

Endnotes:
  1. first time people have used books other than the Bible: http://washingtontimes.com/national/20061130-105645-4387r.htm

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