A promise is a transaction between two persons whereby the first person undertakes in the future to render some service or gift to the second person or devotes something valuable now and here to his use.

Types of promise

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Both an oath and an affirmation can be a promise. One special kind of promise is the vow.

A notable type of promise is an election promise.

Promises and religions

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Religions have differing attitudes towards promises.

Christianity

In Christianity, a distinction is made between simple promises and oaths/vows, with only the latter being seen as involving a deity (either as witness to the promise or recipient of it).

However, the Religious Society of Friends and the Mennonites object to the taking of both oaths and affirmations, basing their objections upon a commandment given in the Sermon on the Mount, and regard all promises to be witnessed by God.

Islam

In An-Nahl 91, Allah forbids Muslims to break their promises after they have confirmed them. All promises are regarded as having Allah as their witness and guarantor. In the Hadith, Muhammad states that a Muslim who made a promise and then saw a better thing to do, should do the better thing and then make an act of atonement for breaking the promise.¹

Abuses of the word in everyday use

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The word is often abused in the corporate world for the sake of doing business, and can be a source of liability and misunderstandings harmful to both companies and consumers. A promise can also be a contract or agreement, and if not fulfilled has legal ramifications. If an employee makes a promise to a customer or client, the entire company can be held liable, despite the fact that a promise can only be made by an individual, and cannot be transferred. A third party cannot be obligated to fulfill a promise, though they can be empowered to do so.

References

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Ethics

Versprechen | Obietnica | Promessa | Promise