Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
Why Would Anyone Take an Oath to a God?

Why Would Anyone Take an Oath to a God?

Last updated on: September 18, 2018 at 3:00 am by John Beckett

Why Would Anyone Take an Oath to a God? 2018-09-11T18:10:14-06:00 John Beckett

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Last Thursday’s post Their Ways Are Not Our Ways was intended to be a warning on several levels. One of those levels involves oaths. Namely, if you swear an oath to a deity you will be held to it, even if you later decide you’d rather do something else.

That raises a question: why take an oath to a God in the first place? If it isn’t required and you can’t change your mind down the road, why take the risk?

That’s a fair question, and it’s a question many (though not all) of us who worship and work with one or more of the Many Gods will eventually have to answer for ourselves.

I can’t tell you what to do here. This is among the most personal of personal religious decisions you’ll ever have to make. But I can tell you what I’ve done and why I did it. I have oathed relationships with three deities. Here’s why.

From dating to marriage

I still remember when I first met my wife Cathy. We were introduced, we talked for a while, and we made arrangements for a first date. The first date led to a second, and a third, and before long we stopped counting. The relationship grew more intimate in every sense of the term, and eventually we started talking about getting married. And then we did.

There was no pressure to advance the relationship (except from our mothers, who were both trying to marry off their unmarriable children) but at each stage, taking the next step seemed like the right thing to do.

Why get married, especially when there were no powerful families to unite or kingdoms that needed an heir, and neither the budget nor the desire for a fairytale wedding? To be sure, part of it was societal expectations. But mainly, marriage provides a firm foundation for building a future together. And it has.

My oaths to Cernunnos and to Danu are very similar – though not identical – to my marriage vows. The relationships began on a rather low-key basis. Gradually they became deeper and more serious until I got to the point that a formal oath seemed like the proper thing to do. I wanted the relationships to continue and to grow in power and depth.

I admit I was rather naïve at the time – I could have walked into something not-so-nice. But I oathed myself to a Forest God who has been watching over me for most of my life, and to a Mother Goddess who has been incredibly supporting, even though She’s not a helicopter parent and occasionally is demanding. I had enough experience to trust Them, and They’ve never given me cause to think I misread Them.

So you may want to take an oath to a God to strengthen a relationship, and to form a foundation for deeper devotion and practice.

Signing up for Team Morrigan

Last year I wrote a whole post on my Oath to the Morrigan. The relationship began with ordinary devotion. Then it became one of reciprocal transactions: She did things for me, I did things for Her. I tried to follow the same pattern I followed with Cernunnos and Danu, but it didn’t work out. She wanted something for that “next step” that I couldn’t give. We returned to a relationship of reciprocal transactions.

But the work She asked me to do followed a pattern – the pattern of Her work in this world. Restoring sovereignty that has been stolen or swindled from ordinary people. Getting ready for the battles She warned us are coming and that are now here. Cleaning up the aftermath of war and conflict.

This work is hard, unpleasant, and unglamorous. It is also necessary. When the Morrigan asked me for an oath that would make the relationship permanent, I knew two things. One, She has always been honorable with me. And two, I liked being part of this work. This is work that is beneficial, tangible, and above all, necessary. Serving the Morrigan is some of the most meaningful and fulfilling work I’ve ever done.

So I gladly said yes and signed up for Team Morrigan.

You may want to take an oath to a God because you believe in Their virtues and values and you want to do all you can to help manifest them in this world.

repping Team Morrigan – and Team Cernunnos – at the 2016 OBOD Gulf Coast Gathering

The happiness of individual humans is not the greatest good

One of the reasons we encourage kids to play sports is to teach the value of teamwork: of working together and of sacrificing for the greater good.

Sometimes this is the beautiful teamwork on display when a shortstop and a second baseman work together to turn a double play. But other times it’s the teamwork of a guard in football, who battles defensive linemen in hand to hand combat all afternoon. The guard will never score a touchdown and will probably never even touch the ball. The only time his name is called is when the quarterback gets sacked because he missed a block. But without strong, effective, and dedicated guards, a football team can’t hope to win.

The initial draft of The Path of Paganism had so many references to “our comfort and safety aren’t very high on Their priority list” that my editor said “yes, John we know this – you’ve already told us multiple times.” I said it so many times because it’s true.

This is anathema to most people in the contemporary West. Everything we do is supposed to make our lives better, easier, and richer. Is a God who makes your life harder worth worshipping? If the Gods are virtuous, why would They make our lives harder?

The answer is obvious even though it’s unpopular. Our comfort and safety and even our happiness aren’t the most important things in the world. The greater good – the well-being of human society and the flourishing of all species – requires sacrifices and teamwork. Sometimes They make our lives harder because They need us to do something that’s hard and dangerous.

You may want to take an oath to a God because you value the greater good more than your own comfort.

Alliances can come in handy

An oath is a contract. And like all contracts, a good oath creates obligations for both parties, not just one.

I am happy to serve Cernunnos, Danu, and the Morrigan. I am happy to work with some other deities on a regular basis. But there are some Gods I don’t want to have to deal with. You can tell Them no, but some of Them don’t want to take no for an answer.

It can be good to have a patron deity who can tell Someone else “this one is ours, and we’re keeping him plenty busy – you can’t have him.”

Beyond that, our world is getting more chaotic, more magical, and more strange. Walking through it alone is a dangerous thing. It’s good to be part of a strong religious and magical tradition. It’s also good to have friends among the mightiest of spirits.

You may want to take an oath to a God because you need Their protection.

Sometimes you can’t say no

Most people can say no. When they do, the God in question simply moves on to the next candidate. They prefer willing co-workers, servants, and priests, and there are always other people who are willing.

But sometimes They won’t take no for an answer.

I know people who were violently claimed by the Morrigan. Their service was not requested, it was compelled. I don’t know why. The people involved don’t know why.

It may involve obligations from past lives – why would death erase obligations made to immortal beings? Or perhaps the person in question has a unique skill set – there’s something they can do that no one else can do. I don’t know. I just know sometimes this happens.

If it happens to you, you can try to negotiate better terms. Sometimes that’s successful. Sometimes it’s not.

It doesn’t happen often. But it does happen. And when it does, you may want to take an oath to a God because it’s your only choice.

Oaths should never be taken lightly

Between this post, Their Ways Are Not Our Ways, and Why We Make Oaths from back in July, I hope it’s clear how serious oaths are. Once made they cannot be unmade. If they contain vague language, they will be interpreted as They see fit. If they are not explicitly bound to time periods (“a year and a day”) or certain events (“until death”), they will continue indefinitely… and “indefinitely” may be longer than you think possible. Negotiate, write, and review your oaths carefully before you take them.

If you choose to make no oaths, I certainly understand. The Gods you work with may understand – or They may not.

But there are good reasons to take oaths to Gods. I’ve done it three times, and I’m glad I did.

Previous Post

September 16, 2018

8 Things to do for Mabon as a Solitary Pagan

Next Post

September 20, 2018 Sitting in a Bland Funeral Thinking About What We Should Do For Our Dead

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Books Community CUUPS Druidry Foundations and Context Gods and Goddesses Magic Myth Nature Ritual Spiritual Practice Theology Travel Uncategorized Videos

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which official opposed Nehemiah's wall-building and sent open letters to Jerusalem?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Sanballat Haggai Tobiah Geshem