Thursday, April 19, 2007 Seares: Covenants, promises By Pachico A. Seares News Sense
A COVENANT is much more than a promise.
An oral or written agreement to do or not to do something is a promise. A covenant is much more. It's "a binding and solemn agreement to do or keep from doing a specified thing."
In law, it's a formal and sealed contract. It's also the court action for damages for violation of such a contract.
Even more awesome in theology: Covenant is the promise of God to man, as recorded in the Bible.
Or so the experts tell us.
Why the heck then do they call covenants those documents that politicians and fraternity leaders sign before election officers and/or the police?
Politicians pledge to keep the election free, honest, and peaceful. The next day they try to cheat, maim, or kill one another.
Frat chiefs vow not to use violence against enemy gangs. But each warring camp keeps sending more victims to the hospital or the mortuary.
Not binding
The flaw is basic: The covenant they sign does not bind. A person aggrieved cannot enforce it before the courts or God.
Photo op and other trappings of media hype may help pin the "promiser" to the promise by fear of loss of face. Beyond that, not much.
Politicians and frat chiefs sit down with enemies, smile for cameras, and pretend they're serious about the covenant---even as they start plotting the breach.
They say it's useless to try to hold some people to anything they say while they're madly in love or hopelessly drunk. Add: running for office or waging a frat war.
It used to be broken promises only. Now there are violated covenants. Erode the values and words become cheap.
