When the Presidential Inauguration ceremony comes to mind, we all think of it being a lot of pomp and circumstance. The president is sworn in with his hand on the Bible. The tradition of using a Bible for the presidential oath of office has long been an important part of the inauguration ceremony. Nevertheless, it is not a part of official protocol, and there have been several presidents throughout history who opted to use a different object, or no object at all, when taking their oath of office. To me, that is a totally strange situation, and while it isn’t official protocol, I feel like it should be. I know that is my own opinion, but we are “one nation, under God” and that means taking the oath on the Bible.
However, since some presidents didn’t agree, there comes a need to understand the reasons why some presidents chose not to use a Bible, in order to provide insight into their personal beliefs and principles. The use of a Bible for the presidential oath began with George Washington in 1789. At his inauguration in New York City, Washington placed his hand on a Bible as he took the oath. This set a precedent that many future presidents chose to follow. Using a Bible underscored the solemnity of the oath and allowed presidents to affirm their faith as they began their term.
However, the use of a Bible is not required by the Constitution. The only requirement is that the president recite the 35-word oath as stipulated in Article II, Section 1: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” That left the matter to the president himself. So, for presidents who opted not to use a Bible, it was their personal choice. Their decisions often carried symbolic meaning about their priorities and principles as they entered office. For me, the rejection of the Bible during the oath points to a man who, does not honor God. That is something that bothers me immensely.
Some presidents, like John Quincy Adams, the 6th president, seemed to think that the Constitution said that religion had no place in government, while in reality, it says that no law can be put in place that allows government to dictate a common church. Nowhere does it say that religion should be kept out of government. Nevertheless, John Quincy Adams chose to use a book of US laws rather than a Bible at his inauguration in 1825. To this day, there is debate around why he made this choice, with some arguing it represented his deep devotion to defending the rule of law above all else. Others say he was making a statement of his strong separation of church and state views. There are also claims that Adams simply forgot to bring a Bible to his inauguration. In his later years, Adams clarified that he firmly believed in keeping his oath of office and official duties separate from religious matters. This seems to confirm the idea that his use of a law book was intentional and symbolic.
Theodore Roosevelt was another president that did not use a Bible for his inauguration in 1901 after the assassination of President William McKinley thrust him into the presidency. There was no indication that he chose to forego the Bible had anything to do with being non-Christian. In fact, the opposite was true, Roosevelt was a devout Christian. Roosevelt wanted to avoid any appearance of impropriety or disrespect toward McKinley by immediately using a Bible. Nevertheless, he felt his faith commitment did not require using a Bible to confirm his sincerity. When he was officially sworn-in months later after winning election in his own right, Roosevelt did use a Bible for the ceremony. In another possible scenario, some say that the hurried swearing-in ceremony was done without time to obtain a Bible. 
Perhaps the most religiously motivated non-use of the Bible to swear the president in was Franklin Pierce, who did not use a Bible for his inauguration in 1853. A family tragedy provides a likely explanation for this departure from tradition. Shortly before his inauguration, Pierce’s son was killed in a train accident right before his parents’ eyes. The trauma and grief from this accident caused Pierce to struggle with his faith. At the time of his inauguration, using a Bible may have felt inauthentic or difficult emotionally. His son’s death haunted Pierce throughout his presidency. It is thought that it caused his choice to forego the Bible as he entered office.
Lyndon B Johnson was sworn-in quickly following John F Kennedy’s assassination without a Bible in 1963. Apparently, that was because of the hurried nature of the impromptu ceremony onboard Air Force One. When Johnson was officially inaugurated months later, he did use a Bible. There is no evidence that Johnson wanted to depart from the tradition but that he was unable due to the extraordinary circumstances of Kennedy’s death.
Jimmy Carter used his personal family Bible when taking the oath in 1977. What was distinctive is that he opened it to a specific passage from Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Carter was transparent about this choice, indicating that this Bible verse summarized how he aspired to carry out his presidency. His bold decision to open directly to a specific passage broke with precedent but reflected his sincere faith.
For his inaugurations in 2009 and 2013, Barack Obama chose to use Bibles that held historical significance. In 2009, he used the Bible used by Abraham Lincoln for his 1861 inauguration. In 2013, he used the “Robinson Family Bible” and Martin Luther King’s traveling Bible. Rather than using his personal Bible, Obama’s choices honored previous presidents and civil rights leaders who inspired him. This represented his grounding in history and promotion of inclusivity as core principles.
John F. Kennedy, who was the first Roman Catholic president, used a Catholic translation of the Bible at his 1961 inauguration. Specifically…the Douay-Rheims translation. By opting for a Catholic version, Kennedy was able to take the oath on a Bible while still honoring his own faith tradition. His decision also demonstrated religion’s important but complex role within a pluralistic democracy.
Franklin D Roosevelt’s was the only president to serve more than 2 terms as president, before or since. For his oaths, he used the Roosevelt family Bible in 1933, the West Thompson Bible (used by George Washington) in 1937, the Warburg Family Bible in 1941, and the Roosevelt family Bible in 1945. His choices were symbolistic as well. His family Bible was chosen for his first and fourth inaugurations. The Washington Bible was chosen as 
a link to the first president and the Warburg Bible, underlining freedom of religion.
Ultimately, the choice of Bible or other object is seen as a deeply personal decision for each president. This visible decision also provides us with insights into their character and demonstration of their faith, or the lack thereof, on the day they accept the weighty responsibility of leading the nation. Whether following or departing from tradition, inauguration choices set the tone for a president’s vision and principles guiding their term.
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