Throughout inaugurations, oaths of workplace, and different formal ceremonies, it’s customary for people to position a hand on a non secular textual content, typically the Bible, whereas reciting the oath. This gesture is mostly understood as a request for divine blessing or an indication of sincerity and solemnity within the dedication being made. The absence of this gesture can result in hypothesis and inquiry.
The apply of utilizing a non secular textual content throughout oaths has deep historic roots in Western authorized and political traditions. It symbolizes a connection to the next ethical authority and reinforces the binding nature of the promise being made. Deviations from this accepted apply, whether or not intentional or unintentional, are noteworthy as a result of they problem expectations and will be interpreted as statements in regards to the particular person’s private beliefs or relationship with custom.