The term oath comes from the Latin iuramentum and means the affirmation or denial of some act, placing God as a witness. This word is a kind of promise where something or someone is invoked.
Oaths can be an internal and very personal act, since the person who was sworn in seeks to fulfill a certain purpose or make a certain effort. This act is part of a kind of pact made by the subject and God or the one to whom the declaration is made.
There are other types of oaths that, unlike the one already mentioned, are constituted as solemn public acts. An example of this are the officials who assume a position in the State and take an oath before the people as a guarantee of compliance with their obligations and responsibilities.
Likewise, other professionals take oaths at the time of graduation as a symbolic act, proof of them are the doctors who must carry out what is called the Hippocratic oath, whose objective is that they promise that they will carry out their work with conscience and with absolute responsibility towards the human beings they will have as patients.
On the other hand, at the judicial level, statements are made under oath which also represents a guarantee of the veracity of what is said. Whoever swears is giving his word and ensuring that what is said corresponds to the truth.
Violating an oath can carry a series of penalties, depending on the context. It is possible to imagine a moral sanction for failing to give testimony or, directly, suffer a civil or criminal punishment according to the legislation or current regulations.
