Cross My Heart, and what what?! Options

[imm]

So you all know that childhood playground rhyme of
"Cross my heart and hope to die/
Stick a needle in my eye (or some other variation)"

I'm doing a speech about hearts, and looking to put the origin of this in there. If any of you just *happen* to know, please tell! =)

[*salcha*]

cross my heart and hope to die

Attest to the truth of something; solemnly assure someone that the truth has been spoken. For example, I did lock the door—cross my heart and hope to die! This phrase most likely originated as a religious oath based on the sign of the cross; it is generally accompanied by hand gestures such as crossing one's hands over one's breast and then pointing the right hand skyward (a variant is cross my heart and point to God). Today most often uttered by children, it was first recorded in 1908.

Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die

[*This Confession*]

heh wow mine is odd

CROSS ONE'S HEART - "The most binding oath of childhood; solemn assurance of truthfulness, usually accompanied by motions of the right hand forming a cross over the general vicinity of the testator's heart. Probably the gesture and its binding nature were originally based upon the familiar Catholic sign of the cross. In my own Protestant childhood in Ohio, and my wife says the same was the case in Massachusetts, the oath was often accompanied by the irreverent doggerel: 'Cross your heart and hope to die, And hope the cat'll spit in your eye." From "2107 Curious Word Origins, Sayings & Expressions from White Elephants to a Song and Dance" by Charles Earle Funk

hmm this as well
more bible based..
although this one i don't explain anything of the origin &shrugs; oh well

“Cross My Heart”
Matthew 5 [33] Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.'

An oath was a solemn promise someone made to indicate that they were telling the truth. The story of the Old Testament is full of examples—oaths are mentioned almost 200 times! This practice didn’t begin with the law. It already existed in Abraham’s day, over 500 years before Moses.

But the law picks us the practice and talks about the significance of making an oath.

Numbers 30:2 When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.

The OT teaches that a person following God, an honest person, will fulfill their promises. You will be able to rely on him doing what he said he would do.

But not everyone tells the truth. And more particularly, people tend to make what Mary Poppins calls “pie crust promises”—easily made and easily broken. Because of that we sometimes don’t believe people when they say they will do something.

But if they swear that they will do it, that usually means something more to us. “I will do it” vs. “I swear I will do it.” It seems more reliable, more believable. At least they seem to know that they are making a promise.

“Cross my heart and hope to die. Stick a needle in my eye.” Shake the secret handshake.

That’s the function of oaths. They are intended to demonstrate honesty.

In fact, when there were no witnesses to a crime, testimony under oath was to be accepted as true testimony (even though no one else could corroborate it).


theres more. .. http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=3216

[Smoogrish]

Moved to School.