Reply #25: It's a good idea to make this decision beforehand

[gratuitous]

If you don't want to swear on a Bible, decide beforehand how to deal with it. It's easy enough to just keep your left hand at your side as you raise your right, but if you're not primed to do that, you might put your left hand on the Bible when it's proffered (or shoved), just as a reflex. At the conclusion of the oath, instead of automatically saying "I do," prepare yourself to say "I so affirm" or whatever other locution your conscience demands.

As for McCarthy-era loyalty oaths, I would think the State of California would be grateful to know to skip this particular teacher when they're handing out the shootin' arns to defend the California state constitution against its enemies, foreign or domestic. That leaves an extra gun available for someone who's going to blaze away without asking so many niggling little questions.