My word, August, did you violate the explicit words of Christ when you enlisted? How does one atone for such a violation and affront? I'm afraid there may be a rather warm place in store for you...
Let's be honest about those strictures on those forms of oaths; they are fundamentally fungible. Depending on what flavor of religion one subscribes to, there are always various "dispensations" created, not by the actual words of scriptures, by the clergy as a means of avoiding potential conflict with the secular interests or, sometimes, to mitigate lapses in doctrinal logic. The main point s that any secular oath or allegiance is neither damaged nor enhanced by the appending of a religious element. Nor is the veracity or lack thereof of a person affected by a religious element; after all, Nixon swore his Presidential oath on a bible, said "So help me God", and there is little doubt it had no effect at all on his criminal activities in office. The same applies to all the other politicians, public officials, military personnel, and other who have taken 'solemn and sacred' oaths and then defiled those oaths. The religious element is superfluous and serves no purpose other than to help certain religious and/or political interests try to maintain influence when, often, logic and reason fails them in their purposes...
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