*** w73 1/15 pp. 62-63 Questions From Readers ***
Without compromising one’s position as a Christian, can one take a ‘loyalty oath’?—U.S.A.

Whether a Christian can conscientiously take a certain oath or not depends primarily on the purpose, content or nature of the oath.
Back in the first century C.E., Jesus Christ corrected the Jews for making light, loose and indiscriminate oaths. They swore by heaven, by the earth, by Jerusalem and even by their own heads. But Jesus reproved them, saying: “Just let your word Yes mean Yes, and your No, No; for what is in excess of these is from the wicked one.” (Matt. 5:33-37) A worshiper of God should not need to back up every statement by an oath in order to make it more believable.
Under certain circumstances, however, the Mosaic law required oaths. (Ex. 22:10, 11; Num. 5:21, 22; Deut. 21:1-9) And Jesus himself did not object to being put under oath by the Jewish high priest. (Matt. 26:63, 64) So Jesus’ statement about swearing cannot be used as a basis for condemning all oaths. But what kind of oaths may a Christian take without injuring his conscience?

This he must determine for himself by comparing the oath in question with Bible principles. Jesus Christ stated: ‘Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God.’ (Matt. 22:21) Hence a Christian could not swear to anything that would require him to do things that are contrary to God’s law. But there would be no objection to his taking an oath to ‘uphold or defend’ the provisions of the law that do not stand in opposition to God’s law. The Christian recognizes that his defense and support of Caesar’s law must be within the limitations imposed by God’s Word. He can ‘defend’ the law by word, by his daily conduct and, in legal matters, by his testimony in court. Christians are told: “Let every soul be in subjection to the superior authorities.” (Rom. 13:1) So there would be nothing objectionable to swearing to do something that one is already obligated by God to do.

Many enlightened countries, though, recognize the reasonableness of the Christian’s other obligation, to ‘give to God what belongs to God.’ Thus the Constitution of the United States, as well as that of many other nations, guarantees freedom of religion. It is understood, then, that a Christian is not going to be required to do anything contrary to his religious beliefs and his obligations to God. There is no danger to the country in this provision, because true Christians do not engage in subversion; rather, they strive to be exemplary, law-abiding citizens.

Since a true Christian takes his worship and his relationship with God very seriously, he ought to give careful thought to any oath he is asked to take. He should be convinced in his own mind that the oath will not cause a violation of his conscience or compromise his neutral position as regards the political nations and their controversies. (Compare Romans 14:5.) If, after reasoning on the matter, he finds that he can take a particular oath, he will have to bear his own responsibility. He should always keep in mind his prior obligation to the Supreme Sovereign, Jehovah God, before ever putting himself under any other obligation.

*** g75 7/22 pp. 27-28 The Taking of Oaths ***
What Is the Bible’s View?
The Taking of Oaths

AN OATH has been defined as “a solemn appeal to God, or to some revered person or thing, to witness one’s determination to speak the truth or to keep a promise.” How do you feel about oath taking? Some religious groups, such as the Mennonites and Quakers, refuse to take oaths. And because certain individuals have conscientious objections to oath taking, affirmation often is accepted as an alternative.

It has been contended that remarks made by Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount forbid his followers to take oaths. Jesus stated: “Again you heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You must not swear without performing, but you must pay your vows to Jehovah.’ However, I say to you: Do not swear at all, neither by heaven, because it is God’s throne; nor by earth, because it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. Nor by your head must you swear, because you cannot turn one hair white or black. Just let your word Yes mean Yes, your No, No; for what is in excess of these is from the wicked one.”—Matt. 5:33-37; compare James 5:12.

Did Jesus mean that it is wrong for his followers to take oaths of any kind? No, we cannot draw that conclusion, for various reasons. Consider: Upward of fifty times in Scripture, Jehovah God himself is referred to as making oaths. For instance, the Christian writer of the letter to the Hebrews pointed out that “when God made his promise to Abraham, since he could not swear by anyone greater, he swore by himself, saying: ‘Assuredly in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply you.’” (Heb. 6:13-18) The Bible shows that humans also have taken oaths acceptable to Jehovah. Abraham swore by God, and under certain circumstances the Mosaic law required that individuals take oaths. (Gen. 21:23, 24; Ex. 22:10, 11; Num. 5:21, 22) Even Jesus Christ raised no objection, but answered when the Jewish high priest declared: “By the living God I put you under oath to tell us whether you are the Christ the Son of God!” (Matt. 26:63, 64) So, how are we to understand Jesus’ words about swearing?

Please notice that Christ mentioned swearing by heaven, earth, Jerusalem and even one’s head. Apparently, many persons living during Jesus’ earthly ministry emphasized every declaration with an oath. It was as though a statement had to be sworn to in order to be believed. Such oaths were unnecessary if people were truthful and meant what they said. Hence, in saying, “Just let your word Yes mean Yes, your No, No,” Christ meant that individuals should be straightforward in their speech. It does not appear that his words were directed against the taking of solemn oaths in courts of law.

Thoughtful Christians weigh the matter in the light of Bible principles before taking any sworn oath. In doing so, they find that some oaths are Scripturally unacceptable. For example, in the days of the Third Reich, every German soldier was required to take this oath: “I swear by God this holy oath that I shall render unconditional obedience to the Führer of the German Reich and people, Adolf Hitler, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and that as a brave soldier I shall be prepared at all times to risk my life for this oath.” A person dedicated to Almighty God cannot bind himself unconditionally to a sinful human, for Jehovah exacts “exclusive devotion.” (Deut. 5:9) Moreover, would it be proper for a true Christian, who Jesus said would be “no part of the world,” to get involved in the controversies of the world? (John 15:19; Jas. 1:27; Isa. 2:4) Hence, despite severe persecution, faithful Christian witnesses of Jehovah in Germany would take no oaths binding them to Adolf Hitler.

A true Christian, then, would not take an oath that would involve him in the controversies of the world or that would subject him unquestioningly to the will of another human. But what if a nation required that such an oath be taken by those desiring to become citizens? Could a person dedicated to God take an oath of that kind with mental reservations, reasoning that sex, age or other factors would make it unlikely that what had been sworn would ever be required? The individual must decide, but it would not be Christian to make a false oath of any kind, even if refusal to do so resulted in being denied the rights of citizenship.—Eph. 4:25; compare Hosea 10:1, 4.

A citizen of the United States of America who desires to travel abroad will find the following oath on a passport application: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations, or purpose of evasion: So help me God.” If an applicant finds this objectionable, he is permitted to strike this oath from the passport application, and he will not be denied the document on that basis.

A godly person also appropriately weighs matters from the standpoint of Jesus Christ’s statement: “Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God.” (Luke 20:25) If anything conflicts with God’s law, the Christian cannot conscientiously swear to it. Yet he might take an oath to ‘support and defend’ the provisions of the law of the land that are not out of harmony with the law of God. Enlightened nations that grant citizens freedom of worship do not require Christians to do things contrary to their Biblical beliefs and obligations to Almighty God.

But how might a Christian ‘support and defend’ the law or the Constitution of a land granting religious liberty? By engaging only in proper and legal conduct that also harmonizes with the law of God. He can also do this by his spoken word, including the giving of truthful testimony in a court of law. No one can reasonably object to a Christian’s swearing to do something that God expects him to do, and relative subjection to governmental authorities is required of Christ’s followers.—Rom. 13:1.

There are numerous oaths, of course. For instance, some unions require members to swear: “I will bear true allegiance to it and will not sacrifice its interests in any manner.” As usually applied, this means that the member will not engage in strikebreaking or similar activities considered detrimental to the union. If a godly person decided that complying with such an oath would not conflict with his Christian activities, he might choose to take it.

Individual conscience, then, enters the picture when any oath is being considered. Of course, a person devoted to Jehovah would take Bible principles into account. This, after all, is vital if such an individual is to keep a close relationship with God.