[Red6]

"You are right that Germany is secular. Nevertheless it does not make sense for me that kids have to be encouraged to make a public commitment. "

Why be baptized? Why do soldiers or political figures take a public oath of office? Why do Boy or Girl-scouts have rights of passages?

To profess publicly to live up to certain values may not be the worst thing a young person can do.

What these young people are doing, is publicly committing to something which if you call yourself a Christian is the right thing to do. What they are doing is showing each other and many more out there that if you "choose" to do the right thing, you're not alone. In a world that is sexually exploitive in the media (TV, radio, print), Internet, it's good for a kid to see that he is among thousands who also believe.

[burzum]

This is probably the best description of these oaths that I have read during this entire discussion. Unlike most of the people in this discussion who were defending these oaths with arguments about political or social systems (as if they were under attack), you simply explained the purpose of these oaths. Bravo!