Do You Promise to Tell the Truth...?

I just got finished viewing the 1961 epic movie "El Cid". What a movie! Given the predominance of the CGI and computer-based technologies, I doubt we will see anything like this in the near future. The sets, costumes, and overall pagentry were extremely vivid and grand. Overall, I do not feel it is a great movie. However, it is certainly remarkable in the epic genre. Perhaps, it is even one of the best of the genre.

One scene stood out to me, though. El Cid compels king Alfonso VI to take an oath that he had no direct or indirect hand in the death of Alfonso's brother (Sancho II), on the Holy Bible. Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar "El Cid" will not kneel to Alfonso VI until he this oath is taken. I was struck by the contrast of this scene with the modern value of integrity and honesty.

Before I begin, let me be clear that I do understand the poem of El Cid is substantially mythic. I am not laboring under the delusion that the poem is 100% factual. This is not my point. Myth does, though, sufficiently articulate what a culture believes OUGHT to be valued. In the case of the scene that I mentioning, truth and integrity are shown as integral to what it means to be a hero.

More specifically, though, I want to underline the placement of the hand on the Holy Bible for an oath. The modern liberal mind usually reels at the thought of an oath on a holy book. They even find it repulsive that one should be required to swear "By God". My question is related to this point. If one does not swear by a higher authority, what would one swear by? Given this, can our society reasonably assume that a "card carrying" atheist is under any compulsion or binding to tell the truth. If one does not believe that they will not be held to account (eternally) by the ontological, rational basis for all life (God), why should we not think that this atheist will simply lie when the circumstances are in his best interest? After all, he is only answerable to himself, if there is not TRUTH.

Just a thought....