1. Since people seem to be interested/surprised by this fact, here’s a quick roundup of a few times lawmakers/govt officials have used things other than Christian Bibles (which isn’t required) while taking the oath of office…https://twitter.com/jackmjenkins/status/1080843446657654786 …
-
-
Show this thread
-
2. Let’s begin with presidents. John Quincy Adams (Unitarian) was sworn in on a “volume of law.” —> https://www.inaugural.senate.gov/about/past-inaugural-ceremonies/10th-inaugural-ceremonies/index.html … Franklin Pierce also didn’t use a Bible and chose to “affirm” rather than swear for…complicated religious reasons (I defer to historians there).
Show this thread -
3. Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in on a Roman Catholic missal on Air Force One shortly after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. (There’s a similar story regarding Teddy Roosevelt not using a Bible when sworn in after assassination of William McKinley)https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-lbj-missal-why-a-prayer-book-given-to-john-f-kennedy-was-used-to-swear-in-the-36th-us-president-8940643.html …
Show this thread -
4. During one of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s swearing-in ceremonies, she used a Hebrew Bible: https://www.jta.org/1993/08/11/archive/ruth-bader-ginsburg-takes-oath-as-first-jewish-justice-since-1969 … So did Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz: https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/09012/bibles.html …
Show this thread -
5. When Tulsi Gabbard, a Hindu Hawaiian and now possible 2020 candidate, was sworn in, she used a copy of the Bhagavad Gita — the same one she kept with her while serving in Iraq.https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/04/tulsi-gabbard-hindu-bhagavad-gita-swearing-in_n_2410078.html …
Show this thread -
6. When Mazie Hirono, who was raised Buddhist, was sworn in, she reportedly didn’t use a book at all. http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=60,3603,0,0,1,0#.XC4-8M9KjOQ …
Show this thread -
7. And, of course, Rep. Keith Ellison used Jefferson’s English translation of the Quran when sworn in to Congress in 2007.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/05/AR2007010500512.html …
Show this thread -
8. Some, like, former CIA director John Brennan, just use the U.S. Constitution. Heck, when Suzi LeVine was sworn in as a U.S. ambassador to Switzerland, she placed her hand on top of a Kindle (yes, really) w/the U.S. Constitution loaded up on its screen.https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2014/06/02/a-u-s-ambassador-was-just-sworn-in-on-a-kindle/?utm_term=.6d421dccbc67 …
Show this thread -
9. Similarly, when Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), the sole “religiously unaffiliated” member of Congress, was sworn in, she used a copy of the Constitution.https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2013/01/07/rep-kyrsten-sinema-sworn-into-congress-without-a-bible/ …
Show this thread -
10. This doesn’t include state-level lawmakers/officials, who likely use all kinds of things. Want to learn more? Here’s a fun New Yorker write up:https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/a-brief-history-of-oaths-and-books …
Show this thread -
11. OH, and if you’re curious about the current state of religious diversity in Congress, I literally just wrote this: https://religionnews.com/2019/01/03/study-new-congress-showcases-religious-diversity-but-is-still-mostly-christian/ …pic.twitter.com/hOFR445ICH
Show this thread -
Show this thread
End of conversation
New conversation -
-
-
Fun Fact: Jefferson owned and read the quran in order to understand his ENEMY.
-
Not sure what you’re trying to argue here. Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis also owned Bibles while at war with each other, but I don’t think that says anything about how either viewed Christianity. But since you brought up Jefferson’s views on Islam…https://theconversation.com/why-jeffersons-vision-of-american-islam-matters-today-97915 …pic.twitter.com/gLRs6U0LZL
-
Whatever you say, boss. Jefferson was certainly not an "Islamophilic multiculturalist". He saw islam for its backwards, repulsive value system that we can all agree belongs entrenched in a 7th century Saudi desert far away from any modern, liberal democratic society.pic.twitter.com/y1cFB2uQrF
-
Wait until you see what he said about Catholicism.
-
All I'm saying is that he owned a quran in order to better understand his enemy. It was not out of love or respect for islam. Islam is foreign to the US and its laws are the antithesis to the constitution. Pre-1965, it was pretty hard to find any muslims in the US.
End of conversation
New conversation -
-
-
She has no clue Jefferson had a copy because like all good leaders, he studied his enemies. Then he sent Marines over and the rest is history.pic.twitter.com/t0t37WTA1o
This media may contain sensitive material. Learn more
-
Think what these people are trying to say is that Jefferson owned it to better understand the Barbary Pirates. This is patently false as he bought this copy in 1765, a full 20 years before he learned of the Barbary pirate issue and almost forty years before the campaign of 1801
End of conversation
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.