[naraht]

Originally Posted by Low C Sharp

I think the challenging part is that you usually don't have a chance to see the oath and think about it before you are asked to swear it in front of 100 peers. There may be some organizations that are exceptions, but from what folks have been willing to share, the oath often comes in toward the close of one's initiation and involves the promise not to talk about the secrets revealed. A person, and especially an 18-year-old, is in quite a dilemma if they've gone through the whole ceremony and a whole pledging period and then they are surprised by a request to (let's say) swear on a Bible, or make an oath in Jesus's name.

This is part of the reason that Alpha Phi Omega added the oath to the pledge manual. http://www.apo-em.org/brotherhoodoath.htm