Swearing False Oaths, Part 2 (TMF:2178)

Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Peace to Live By: Swearing False Oaths, Part 2 (TMF:2178) - Daniel Litton
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       So, the background is that basically some Jews back then had the habit of swearing false oaths by other names (names other than God’s name) and thought that that was okay to do. They thought the only oath that you had to keep was when you swore by God’s name. Otherwise, you could tell a lie if it was by any other name, and that wasn’t sinful to do that. Of course, to our minds here in American society we can think of similar ways people do this. The thought comes to mind of a person crossing their fingers behind there back (usually a child) as they are agreeing to something. The random example that comes to my mind is Veruca from the movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). We can remember when Willy Wonka was telling the kids about the Everlasting Gobstopper that Veruca appeared to agree she wouldn’t share the secret of it with anyone, only to be crossing her fingers behind her back. What are some ways we, today, swear by false oaths? Maybe it’s as simple as a person telling their friend they will help them move, and then when the day comes, the yes actually wasn’t a yes.