Redman v. Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania

Section 7, Article I of the Ohio Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and specifically provides that no person shall “be incompetent to be a witness on account of his religious belief * * *.” In keeping with this constitutional provision, Evid.R. 610 states: “Evidence of the beliefs or opinions of a witness on matters of religion is not admissible for the purpose of showing that by reason of their nature his credibility is impaired or enhanced.”

This case presents us with the distinction between two related but separate evidence concepts: bias and credibility. Conversely, nothing in the…