Irreligion: Perjury

Perjury is a lie confirmed by an oath. It is the calling upon God to witness that truth is spoken, when, in fact,truth is not spoken. We hear the term perjury used mostly with reference to false evidence given by a witness in a court oflaw. But any lie confirmed by oath, in court or out, is perjury. Perjury involves an injury to God, and therefore is a sin against religion. It is also a great sin against commutative justice, for it ruins the necessary guarantee of honesty among men.

Thus, by its very nature, perjury is sinful, and is essentially a sin against religion.

And, again by its very nature, perjury is a mortal sin. For it is not only irreverence towards God; it is contempt of God,for it invokes Him to witness what the perjurer knows is not true.

We should not lightly demand an oath from others merely to assure ourselves that they are telling the truth; to require an oath, a matter must be serious and important, and one in which itis essential to know the exact truth. Private individuals should never demand an oath from a known liar; his oath would be meaningless in any case, and to require it is only to furnish himan occasion of sin. But a judge in court rightly demands an oath from every witness, even if he knows that this witness or that is wholly unreliable. For the judge acts in an official capacity, nota personal one, and the common good demands a consistent procedure of supporting court testimony by oath.