Matthew 5:33-37 and James 5:12 Applied To Political Arguments
"Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou
shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine
oaths: παλιν ηκουσατε οτι ερρεθη τοις αρχαιοις ουκ επιορκησεις
αποδωσεις δε τω κυριω τους ορκους σου
34. But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it
is God's throne:
35. Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem;
for it is the city of the great King.
36. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not
makeone hair white or black
37. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for
whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." Matthew 5:33-37
"But above all things, my brethren, swear not,..neither by the heaven,
neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: But let your yea be
yea, and your nay, nay;" James 5:12
Matthew 5: 33-37 and James 5: :12 are not so much about never
taking an oath as about speaking the truth clearly.
When you take an oath you are making a promise, and if you do not
clearly carry out what you promised, you were lying in making the
oath..
But the point In Matthew 5:33-37 and in James 5:12 is "But let
your yea be yea, and your nay, nay;" Do not be deceptive in your
dialogue with others. Be clear in what you are saying. One tactic of
the dialectic is to introduce confusion and ambiguity into the topic
of argument or discussion which is what is often done in political
argumentation. This is sometimes called the fog of war. The
Christian is called to speak the truth and to come out of the
dialectic mindset
"Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou
shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine
oaths: παλιν ηκουσατε οτι ερρεθη τοις αρχαιοις ουκ επιορκησεις
αποδωσεις δε τω κυριω τους ορκους σου
34. But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it
is God's throne:
35. Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem;
for it is the city of the great King.
36. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not
makeone hair white or black
37. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for
whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." Matthew 5:33-37
"But above all things, my brethren, swear not,..neither by the heaven,
neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: But let your yea be
yea, and your nay, nay;" James 5:12
Matthew 5: 33-37 and James 5: :12 are not so much about never
taking an oath as about speaking the truth clearly.
When you take an oath you are making a promise, and if you do not
clearly carry out what you promised, you were lying in making the
oath..
But the point In Matthew 5:33-37 and in James 5:12 is "But let
your yea be yea, and your nay, nay;" Do not be deceptive in your
dialogue with others. Be clear in what you are saying. One tactic of
the dialectic is to introduce confusion and ambiguity into the topic
of argument or discussion which is what is often done in political
argumentation. This is sometimes called the fog of war. The
Christian is called to speak the truth and to come out of the
dialectic mindset