610 Religious beliefs or opinions

Lawyers cannot attack or boost a witness's credibility just because of their religious beliefs. A witness's faith, or lack of faith, cannot be used in court to argue that they are more or less likely to tell the truth.

This means one side cannot ask a witness about their religion to suggest they are dishonest, and the other side cannot bring up religion to suggest the witness is extra trustworthy. The court keeps the focus on the actual facts and testimony in the case, not on what someone believes spiritually.

This rule protects witnses from being judged based on their personal faith. Someone's religious views, whether they attend church, or what they believe about God has nothing to do with whether they are telling the truth on the stand.