Testimony
In
law and in
religion,
testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter.
In the
law,
testimony is a form of
evidence that is obtained from a
witness who makes a solemn statement or declaration of fact. Testimony may be oral or written, and it is usually made by
oath or
affirmation under penalty of
perjury. Unless a witness is testifying as an
expert witness, testimony in the form of opinions or inferences is generally limited to those opinions or inferences that are rationally based on the perceptions of the witness and are helpful to a clear understanding of the witness' testimony.
A
subpoena commands a person to appear. It is compulsory to comply.
When a witness is asked a question, the opposing attorney can raise an
objection ([
1], [
2]), which is a legal move to disallow an improper question, preferably before the witness answers, and mentioning one of the standard reasons, including:
*argumentative
*asked and answered
*calls for speculation
*calls for a conclusion
*
compound question*
hearsay*inflammatory
*irrelevant, immaterial, incompetent
*lack of foundation
*leading
*narrative
There may also be an objection to the answer, including:
*non-responsive
Up until the mid-20th century, in much of the
United States, an attorney often had to follow an objection with an
exception to preserve the issue for appeal. If an attorney failed to "take an exception" immediately after the court's ruling on the objection, he waived his client's right to appeal the issue. Exceptions have since been abolished, due to the widespread recognition that forcing lawyers to take them was a waste of time.
In
religion,
testimony generally involves an inward belief or outward profession of faith or of personal religious experience. In some
religions (most notably
Mormonism and
Islam) many adherents testify as a profession of their
faith, often to a congregation of believers. In
Mormonism, testifying is also referred to as "bearing one's testimony," and often involves the sharing of personal experience—ranging from a simple anecdote to an account of personal
revelation—followed by a statement of belief that has been confirmed by this experience. In addition to outward professions of faith,
testimony also may refer to an inwardly-held belief, even if not shared.
Some published
oral or written
autobiographical narratives are considered "
testimonial literature" particularly when they present
evidence or
first person accounts of
human rights abuses,
violence and
war, and living under conditions of social
oppression. This usage of the term comes originally from
Latin America, and the Spanish term
"testimonio" when it emerged from human rights
tribunals,
truth commissions, and other
international human rights instruments in countries such as
Chile and
Argentina. One of the most famous, though controversial, of these works to be translated into English is
I, Rigoberta Menchú. The autobiographies of
Frederick Douglass can be considered among the earliest significant English-language works in this
genre.
*
Cross-examination*
Daubert Standard*
Deponent*
deposition*
Direct examination*
Hostile witness*
In limine*
Leading question*
Redirect examination*
Strike from the record*
Testimony, philosophical problems of*
Words of Testimony: Examples of Christian testimonies 
