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March-May 1999 The Sabbath Sentinel
The Sabbath and Military Service
by Richard C. Nickles
The Sabbath-keeping Church of God
has a long tradition of non-participation in war. Both the
Church of God (7th Day), and most descendants from the Worldwide
Church of God are opposed to military service. Some of
these groups have anti-participation-in-war statements in their
statements of belief. While Seventh-day Adventists do not have a
statement on carnal warfare in their official doctrinal
statement, SDA's, when inducted into the military,generally
become non-combatants.
Anabaptists in Europe, who became prominent in the 1500s,
generally opposed taking part in warfare. While not all
Anabaptists were Sabbath-keepers, some were. My ancestors
became followers of a prominent Sunday Anabaptist named Menno
Simons, founder of the Mennonites. Because they would not
participate in Prussian wars, my German Mennonite ancestors,
known as the "von Nickel" clan, gave up their
ownership of the largest nickel mine in Eastern Europe, and
settled in the south Russian area of the Ukraine, at the
invitation of Russian Empress Catherine the Great. John Kiesz,
the late noted evangelist of the Church of God, Seventh Day,
also is descended from these Germans in Russia. They eventually
migrated further east, reaching Tashkent, in Asiatic Russia. In
about the 1870s, seeking to avoid mandatory military service in
the Russian army, my father's ancestors migrated to the Dakotas
in North America. Others went to Paraguay, in South America.
Those who refuse to kill and maim other human beings in warfare
often face contempt, ridicule, and persecution. In spite of
ardent persuasion from public officials, my grandfather in North
Dakota refused to buy War Bonds during World War I. Buying bonds
was supposed to be voluntary. He did not want to
support President Woodrow Wilson's war in Europe. As a result of
grandpa's refusal, the local sheriff came to Cornelius Nickel's
farm and confiscated a cow on behalf of the United States war
effort.
In 1969, as a young college graduate and twenty-one year old
convert to the Sabbath-keeping Church of God,I faced a hostile
draft board shortly after I was baptized. The government had
declared me "1A," which means that I was subject to
being drafted and sent to the Vietnam War. I performed a
diligent study of the Bible teachings on war, writing a lengthy
paper to my draft board, in order to convince them that I was a
sincere conscientious objector to war. One of the members of the
Draft Board reviewing my case was Professor of Religion at the
college I had been attending. I remember his pointed questions,
and sneering ridicule of my beliefs. I got a little practice in
case I ever have to appear before a Grand Inquisition. Rather
than allow me to engage in public or international service in the
Peace Corps as work in lieu of military service, the Draft
Board decided that I must take the lowliest job available:
janitor at Goodwill Industries in Portland, Oregon. So, for
two years of alternate service, known as the "1-W"
program, the valedictorian, of both his high school and
college graduating classes, mopped floors and cleaned toilets.
It was a good, character building experience. I could have fled
to Canada to live with relatives there, but I am happy that I
was able to serve my country in a non-destructive way. While
some of my contemporaries who went to Vietnam came back in pine
boxes, crippled with injuries,or drugged out of their minds, I
worked with handicapped people and learned many helpful lessons.
My personal experiences are not unique. Sabbath-keeping and
non-participation in warfare seem to go hand in hand. The
Waldenses huddled in the valleys of the Alps underwent military
attack and persecutions time and again. They were never
aggressive, and only in extreme circumstances would defend
themselves.
Conscientious Objectors during the Civil War
During the American Civil War, many Adventists and Church of God
Sabbatarians refused to participate in the war.
One clear indication of the beliefs of the Hope of
Israel (name of the Church of God paper, the predecessor of
today's Bible Advocate ) supporters generally was their
conscientious objection to participation in the Civil War.
It appears that some Advent groups attempted to buy exemption
from the draft for their male members. Eli Wilsey of the
Hartford, Michigan, "Church of Christ" spent at
least four months in prison "for refusing to fight with
carnal weapons." Frequent news articles on the progress
and staggering costs of the war were published, with the
exhortation to the brethren to have nothing to do with the
"war, revenge and murder."
One news report was that brother William Cronk of Casco was
drafted and passed examination, "but was declared exempt
from field service on account of his religious principles. He
is in the government service in the hospital."
N. Wallen and R.C. Horton reported in a letter dated January 16,
1865, from South Haven, Michigan, that the brethren of Hartford
and Casco were going to try and raise $300.00 to clear all the
brethren who may be drafted.
The April 23, 1865 issue contained a quote from the
Harbinger expressing sorrow at the death of
President Lincoln, thanking God that Lincoln made laws to deliver
Christians from participating in war.
John L. Staunton, a one-time president of the Michigan
Conference, enlisted in the Union army. The Waverly church
disfellowshipped him, maintaining that only non-resisters could
be in their church.
H.E. Carver of Iowa was conscientiously opposed to Christians
fighting with carnal weapons, that is, in warfare. He believed
that the church should adopt the same position and urged that
the question be discussed in the columns of the Advent
Review. This occurred at the outbreak of the Civil War,
shortly before the foundation of the Seventh-Day Adventist
denomination.
The Whites stated at a council in Lisbon, Iowa that the subject
should not be discussed. They felt that appearing to be
unpatriotic could be dangerous. James White wrote in the
Review that to engage in war would be a violation of two
of God's commandments, but in case of being drafted, the
government would be responsible for an individual's violation of
God's commandments. Something had to be said on this delicate
subject, but Mrs.White never did pronounce a vision concerning
conscientious objection.
The Iowa Church of God brethren were firmly convinced that it
was wrong for Christians to engage in warfare. During the
initial phase of the Civil War, Elders B.F. Snook and
J.H. Waggoner prepared a petition to the Iowa State government,
asking their church be exempted as non-combatants. The petition
was circulated among the brethren for signatures, and sent to the
state capital. Battle Creek did not sanction this effort,
terming it "fanaticism." Due to the Church of God
petition, a law was enacted exempting non-combatants from
bearing arms. Carver termed the non-action of the Battle Creek
Seventh-Day Adventists as "cowardly." This is only
one example of some of the controversy generated by the subject
of the military among Sabbatarians.
However, Uriah Smith reported that the Seventh-Day Adventist
General Conference did indirectly exempt Seventh-Day Adventists
by petitioning the government to exempt them through an already
existing law.
Conscientious Objection Today
Jesus said in John 18:36, "My kingdom is
not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then
would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the
Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." The Savior's
servants are not to engage in carnal warfare. There are many
scriptures supporting the view that participating in war is
contrary to New Testament beliefs. I suggest that you read the
article, "Military Service and War," written by Herbert
W. Armstrong, available on the Worldwide Web at http://web.ukonline.co.uk/rt.taylor/armyservice.htm.
Besides presenting a problem with the sixth commandment,
"Thou shalt not kill," military service presents
insurmountable problems with keeping the Bible Sabbath. As Ron
Dart writes in his article, "Capital
Punishment, A Christian Dilemma," there is little
difference between a slave and a man drafted into the military.
Soldiers eat and sleep when and where they are told. They work
and fight when and where they are told. They are not free to
quit and go home. If a civilian Sabbath-keeper refuses to work
on God's weekly Holy Day, he may lose his job; a soldier under
the same circumstances may be court martialed and jailed.
Sabbath-keeping, versus military service and war, are totally
opposed to each other.
Doctrinal Statements on Military Service
Article 15 of the Statement of Beliefs of the Church of God,
Seventh Day, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, states:
Participation in Warfare. Jesus Christ our
Lord taught us to love and forgive our enemies, and to work for
the peace and salvation of all peoples. Wars among nations and
violence between persons are not God's perfect will, but result
from greed, lust for power, selfishness, and other sinful
motives. Christians should renounce such carnality and the
weapons of human strife, and should not participate in military
combat through the armed forces. Matthew 5:38-48; Luke
6:27-38; Romans 12:17-21; John 18:36; Matthew 26:51, 52; 2
Corinthians 10:3, 4; James 4:1
The United Church of God, an International Association, with
home office near Cincinnati, Ohio, says this in their statement
of beliefs:
We believe that Christians are forbidden by the commandments
of God from taking human life, directly or indirectly, and
that bearing arms is contrary to this fundamental
belief. Therefore, we believe that Christians should not
voluntarily become engaged in military service. If they are
involuntarily engaged in military service, we believe they
should refuse conscientiously to bear arms and, to the extent
possible, to refuse to come under military authority.
Down through history, Sabbath-keepers have often been persecuted
and attacked by papal armies. They have had to flee to avoid
massacre, and have had to defend themselves only under extreme,
provocative, circumstances. In the Twentieth Century,
purposeless wars have slaughtered millions. If there is any
lesson to be learned from this bloody history, it is that war is
"hell," and that a Bible believer should shun such
evil practices. We look forward to the coming of the Savior.
His return will initiate the ONLY "war to end all
wars." Sabbath-keeping and military service appear to be
totally incompatible. This is a very critical issue. The Sixth
Commandment is as important as the Fourth Commandment. Our
weapons are spiritual, not carnal.
If any of our readers have comments or stories to relate on the
subject of military service, please write to the editor.
TSS
March - May 1999 The Sabbath Sentinel
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