Well, I pray your Easter Sunday was a magnificent one.

Today we have an email from Candace who lives in Long Beach, California who asks Pastor

John, what does the Bible say or what are your thoughts about the practice of using the

Bible to swear truthfulness in a court of law?

Why is this done?

Should it be?

And what about those who lie?

Is this act using a Bible making a lie more punishable in God's eyes?

Well, let me be honest right up front.

I think Christians should resist taking such oaths in that traditional way.

And by that traditional way, I mean, and this is part of my answer to her question about

the meaning of it, taking a sacred object and swearing to tell the truth by that sacred

object like a Bible or your mother's name or your father's grave or the name of God

or Christ, like I swear by my father's grave, I won't lie to you, something like that.

In this traditional way of taking an oath by calling some sacred object to mind, the idea

is that your commitment to truth may be weak and would be strengthened by the desire not

to desecrate the sacred object you have sworn by.

See that?

In other words, the assumption is you come into this courtroom or some situation and you're

not really committed to tell the truth.

And maybe we could up your commitment to tell the truth if we could get you to associate

your telling of the truth or your lying with the desecration of some sacred object like

...