Are not all oaths forbidden in Holy Scripture?
The words of the Savior are clear: “Again, you have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you: do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool… Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one” (Mat 5:33–37; see Q490). This is repeated by James, the Lord’s Brother: “above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no be no, that you may not fall under condemnation” (Jas 5:12; see Q532). It follows that Christians should not resort to oaths, but rather “speak the truth in Christ” (Rom 9:1; see Q607).
