OATHS
PROMISE
VOW




OATH

HOW TO WRITE AN OATH

OATH OF OFFICE

LOYALTY

LOYALTY OATH

A NOTARY'S GUIDE TO OATHS AND AFFIRMATIONS

OATH LINKS



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SECTION 1



OATH




An oath is a solemn promise about your behavior or your actions. Often,
when you take an oath, the promise invokes a divine being. For example,
you might swear to God that something is true or swear on the Bible
that something is true.



Personal and Professional Oaths

Oaths are taken all the time, both a professional capacity and in a personal
capacity. In some cases, you can get into serious trouble for taking an oath
and then going back on your word or not living up to your promise. For example,
if you testify in court and you take an oath to tell the truth and you then lie
on the stand, you can be tried for, and convicted of, perjury. If you take an
oath of loyalty to your country and you lie, then you can be tried for treason.



The Oath of Office,

which is taken by the President of the United States and which reads:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of
President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve,
protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Tradition dictates that presidents add "So Help Me God," after saying the Oath,
but this is not in the official text.



The oaths of enlistment,

which are taken by people who join the United States military.
The oath of enlistment reads:

"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 will obey
the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the
officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of
Military Justice. So help me God."



The oath to testify in court.

Before testifying in any court or legal proceedings, witnesses must answer
in the affirmative to the following oath:

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth
so help you God?"



Other oaths can also be taken, such as:


An oath of office taken by members of the U.S. House of Representatives
or the U.S. Senate

An oath of citizenship when you become a citizen of the United States

Wedding vows in which you make a solemn promise to be faithful

The oath you take when you join the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts.

The fiduciary oath you take when you become a personal financial advisor


All of these are examples of oaths used frequently in American life.



Examples of Oath
https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-oath.html



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SECTION 2



HOW TO
WRITE
AN OATH




An oath can be a written contract, a strong promise to hold to one's values or
an appeal to a higher power or person. An oath can be as simple as a personal
statement or as significant as a legally binding contract, such as oaths used
in court to ensure that people testify truthfully. Whether an oath is personal
or relevant to others, it is a powerful document used to commit to a specific
value or purpose.

Open the document with a self-referential to establish who is taking the oath:
"I, [name], solemnly swear to ... ." If the oath is to be taken by a group,
use "we" instead of "I."

Mention witnesses in the document if there are to be any: "I, [name], solemnly
swear in the presence of [names of witnesses] to..."

Write a purpose for your oath, specifically what the oath taker is meant to promise
to uphold or to do. The purpose can be as simple as an oath to take out the garbage
every Tuesday or as serious as to give time to help others in need.

Close the document by invoking a higher authority or someone you respect relevant to
the topic of your oath. Some oaths close with the phrase "So help me God." Others call
upon the name of the people or group they represent, such as making an oath to serve
your nation. There is also the option of calling upon a single person, such as the
leader of your country, company or group.

Make the document legally binding by having it signed by the oath taker in the presence
of a notary. The notary serves as a witness to the signing. This step applies only if
the oath is meant to be a legal document. Skip this step if you are writing the oath for
unofficial purposes such as a club or organization.



Tips

Keep your oath between half a page to a full page to keep it short enough to read aloud
but long enough to be powerful and direct.



Warnings

Oaths can be considered legally binding in some cases. Think through what you write before
you commit to something undesirable.

Never write a legal oath that binds you to anything harmful, illegal or dangerous.



How to
Write an Oath

https://penandthepad.com/write-oath-8629907.html




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SECTION 3



OATH
OF
OFFICE




An oath of office is an oath sworn by an elected official, under which the
person accepts the responsibilities of office and undertakes to carry out
the office in accordance with law. In most cases the oath is a traditional
statutory-based oath, which is required by connection with the constitution
of the electoral jurisdiction. Modern oaths are considered ceremonial, but
are in practice part of the formal taking of office, and in practice it's a
technical default if the oath is not taken.



Oath of office
https://www.examplesof.com/business/oath_of_office.html



When can the oath of office be taken?

Who can administer the oath of office?

What wording must be used for the oath of office?




Oath
of
Office

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_office




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SECTION 4



LOYALTY




Loyalty, general term that signifies a person’s devotion or sentiment of
attachment to a particular object, which may be another person or group
of persons, an ideal, a duty, or a cause. It expresses itself in both
thought and action and strives for the identification of the interests of
the loyal person with those of the object. Loyalty turns into fanaticism
when it becomes wild and unreasoning and into resignation when it displays
the characteristics of reluctant acceptance. Loyalty has an important social
function. Only by an individual’s willingness, in cooperation with others,
to invest intellectual and moral resources generously and wholeheartedly in
something beyond a narrow personal circle has it been possible for communities
of various kinds to emerge and continue to exist.



Loyalty
https://www.britannica.com/topic/loyalty



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SECTION 5



LOYALTY
OATH




An oath that declares an individual's allegiance to the government and
its institutions and disclaims support of ideologies or associations
that oppose or threaten the government.



Loyalty Oath
https://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Loyalty+Oath



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SECTION 6



A NOTARY'S
GUIDE TO
OATHS AND AFFIRMATIONS




Affirmation is a solemn promise with legal consequences that can be made
before a Notary. If one of your customers wishes to take an oath or
affirmation, here are some tips.



Difference Between An Oath And An Affirmation

While both oaths and affirmations are notarial acts that compel a person to
tell the truth, an oath is a solemn, spoken pledge to God or a Supreme Being,
while an affirmation is a spoken pledge made on the signer’s personal honor
with no reference to a higher power. Either is considered acceptable, and the
choice is left to the signer.



A Notary's Guide
To Oaths
And Affirmations

https://www.nationalnotary.org/notary-bulletin/blog/2015/05/your-guide-notary-oaths-affirmations




Solemnly Swearing:
9 Times Oaths Are Required

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/74791/solemnly-swearing-9-times-oaths-are-required




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SECTION 7



OATH
LINKS




Examples of Oath
http://freeessaypro.com/blog/examples-of-oath/

Lawful Oaths and Vows
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/lawful-oaths-and-vows/

Legal Definition of Oath: Everything You Need to Know
https://www.upcounsel.com/legal-def-oath

Loyalty Oaths
https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1126/loyalty-oaths

Medical oaths and declarations
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1121898/

Oath/Affirmation of State Employees and Public Officers
https://www.dos.ny.gov/corps/oath.html

Oaths and Dedication
http://www.heathenhof.com/oaths-and-dedication/

Oaths of Enlistment and Oaths of Office
https://history.army.mil/html/faq/oaths.html

Oath of Office
http://history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Oath-of-Office/

Physician Oaths
https://www.aapsonline.org/ethics/oaths.htm

Types of Oath
http://nsukkacatholicdiocese.org/types-of-oath.html#sthash.z8RVnSY5.dpbs



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Fact-Checking
https://www.poynter.org/category/fact-checking/




Foundations Magazine
http://www.foundationsmag.com/index.html




The Anti-Defamation League
https://www.adl.org/




Eurovoc
http://eurovoc.europa.eu/




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