“Swear to me”

Out with the old and in with the new! Prince Charles will be crowned the new King of England on Saturday with all the traditions expected from the British Monarchy. He has made his mark already with changes including a “slimmed down” monarchy and his much publicized ‘inclusive’ approach to the role.

One tradition scrapped from the coronation is the loyalty oath taken individually by dukes and lords. This ‘Homage of the Peers’ is said to have taken a whole hour during Elizabeth’s coronation as each lord bent the knee before her and swore to be her loyal subject. Charles decided it would be much more ‘inclusive’ to instead ask the entire Commonwealth to ‘swear to me’ through an ‘homage of the people’, a move that has not gone over well in the UK.

The Coronation, at its heart, is a religious ceremony where Charles ascends to lead the people of the United Kingdom and become the ‘Supreme Governor’ of the Church of England. The church obviously believes it is OK to incorporate oaths in the ceremony, but how does this fit with God’s Word?