Then What Is It to Swear by Allah with One's Hand on the Koran (Qur'an)?

"Swearing by the name of God implies a belief and acknowledgment of His omniscience, omnipotence, and justice; it follows, therefore, that to swear by any other besides Him, must be utterly unlawful, and no less than idolatry."

--Robert Shaw [1845], from An Exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith (Christian Focus Publications, 1992, p.237)



Question: Hmmm, then is it unlawful and idolatrous to take an oath with one's hand on the Koran?
Answer: YES

"In reaction to the news, conservative media pundit Dennis Prager criticized the decision in his November 28, 2006 column entitled 'America, not Keith Ellison, decides what book a Congressman takes his oath on.'" [Very interesting account of different books used in oath ceremonies in the United States. What a cacophanous mish-mash of gods and their law-standards.]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qur'an_oath_controversy_of_the_110th_United_States_Congress

Is it "America" which decides "what book" a Congressman takes his oath on?

"Instead of 'So Help me God,' Ellison, an African American and of Islamic faith, will pledge to uphold the Constitution of the United States ending with the phrase 'Allahhu Akbar' meaning God is Great in Arabic."
http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/3587

Which god was declared to be great by this "representative" of the people? The Christian God? or the Muslim god?

"Before that time [1985], the law was called 'Administration of oath upon the Gospels'"
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,275266,00.html

Why was the oath law called that?

"The whole concept of having someone take an oath with his hand on a book is to have him swear against something he or she considers sacred. To a Christian or a Jew, that would be the Bible - to a Muslim, the Koran. Forcing a Muslim to take an oath with his or her hand on a Bible would make it meaningless, IMHO."
http://dimensionsmagazine.com/forums/archive/index.php?t-15512.html

Is "swearing against something he or she considers sacred" the whole concept of having someone take an oath with his hand on "a book"?


It's almost like one's standard reveals who or what one's god is. The history of this nation has been marked by political polytheism (adulterous idolatry). What does the future hold for this nation in God's providence, I wonder?

Hindu temple