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American Friends Service Committee — Part 1
Page 66
66 / 122
realize that in time of war Joyalty te God and loy-
alty to the state scem to come into direct conflict.
However, the conscientious objectors are not op-
Posed to serving the state in its constructive proc-
esses. They are cayrer to do that. Their opposition
is to war and conscription; they believe that war
itself is so great an evil that their loyalty to both
God and their country compels them to refrain
from participation in it, This they look upon as
one of the greatest services anyone can render to
the state.
The government must decide whether people who
conscientiously follow their conception of Chris-
tianity or other religious faiths are a detriment or
an assef to the state. Will it profit the state to pun-
ish or Kill those whose first loyalty is to a universal
God and a brotherhood of all mankind, and who
seck to serve the state by extending these ideals?
Will the physical, mental and spiritual fibre of the
conscientious objector be broken or toughened by
Persecution? Conscientious objectors are willing
to serve their fellow men loyally in dificult tasks
if they are permitted to do work which their con-
science docs not forbid. The state could wisely use
s this willingness to serve in ways which would ad-
vance the well-being of the state and at the same
time that of the reliious pacifist,
The early Christian church remained pacifist
for nearly 200 years. Members of the Socicty of
Friends or Quakers first testified to their refusal to
fesort to the war method almost three centuries
ago. Declarations of the same nature were made at
about that same time by two other groups, the
Mennonites and the Church of the Brethren.
The Quakers, for example, in 1660 stat
objections in the following words to Cha
King of England:
“We utterly deny all outward wars ar
strife, and fightings and outward weapon
for any end, or under any pretence wha
ever; this is our testimony to the who
world. The Spirit of Christ by which w
are guided, is not chanzeable, so as |
command us from a thing of evil an
again to move us into it; and we certain
know, and testify to the world, that tl
Spirit of Christ, which leads us unto a
truth, will never move us to fight and w:
against any man with outward weapon
neither for the Kingdom of Christ, nc
for the kingdom of this world... There
fore, we cannot learn war any more.”
Other religious faiths and organizatior
high mora! or spiritual purposes have rect
that war is not an acceptable method by w
seck to obtain the high ideals of man. In pa
in which our country has been involved,
known number of conscientious objector
come from such faiths and organization:
pacifisis of the world have long advocated ;
and program of international and interrac
operation in political, economic and othe:
which, had it been followed, would have pre
much of the strife now destroying mankind
Great Britain passed its conscription law
time it declared war. The law makes liber
visions for conscientious objectors. Its pro
are not limited to objection based on religiou:
ing or belicf. It provides for complete exei
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