Originally from Alternatives to the High Cost of Litigation

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As a lawyer, ADR neutral, and educator, my view has always been that law and the legal system operates best outside of the confines of organized religion and individual beliefs and practices.

My experience recognizes that although there are many bright lines of separation, in some places and times, there are not those bright lines, with religious and spiritual practices being express or implied presences.

Courts and political institutions routinely swear secular oaths on Bibles and Korans and may include references to divine beings. When testifying, people have the option to affirm rather than swear. Some affirm based upon a belief that it is improper or disrespectful to their conception of God, others because they are agnostic, atheist, or not a monotheist.