... JB. The full quote from Webster ...

>> "To make a solemn declaration with an appeal to God
>> or to something held sacred for confirmation.

... demonstrates that "solemnly swearing" is not necessarily the same thing as invoking god.

"Something held sacred" does not require a belief in or reference to god. While "sacred" does have a religious origin and continued religious connotations, the word also has a secular definition (from Webster's online dictionary):

"highly valued and important"

>> Not sure if Webster was a Lawyer....

He was. Here is an excerpt from a brief biography:

>> Noah Webster ... attended law school for a while ....
>> Later when he was a schoolmaster in Hartford, he lived with a
>> judge who had a large library. He was able to study law using the
>> judge's books. He became a lawyer, but what he really wanted to
>> do was to teach others.

----- jim o\-S