So far in our discussion, we have considered the facets of conscientious objection as they apply to the ecclesia, the local draft board, as well as, obviously, how the individual should regard himself in this area. The logical step to take now is to examine the role of the armed forces in relation to the ordinances expressed by God throughout the scripture.
The first point that we need to consider is a subtle one that is not apparent to many people, especially to those of us who are in the truth. The aspect we shall consider here is known as “indoctrination.” What indoctrination refers to is a reorientation of new military personnel to the militaristic viewpoint as it relates to national and world affairs. To put it quite simply, the new recruit is required to attend classes that stress the evil nature of the enemy, whoever that may be. Day after day you are taught to hate the enemy through constant lecturing on this subject. The aim of these sessions is to saturate you so completely with these concepts that not only will you learn to deeply hate the enemy, but will also be more willing to aid in its destruction. Is this the way in which God would have us to act?
The obvious answer to that question is an emphatic NO! We read in Matthew 5:43-45 one of the most familiar portions of scripture that delineates God’s injunction given to us on this topic, viz., “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despite fully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” One cannot hate if one is to be associated as being a child of God. The child follows his parents example and therefore, if we call God our Father, hate cannot be part of us for He teaches us the opposing idea of love. 1 John 4:7-8 sums up this concept perfectly when it states, “Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God; and everyone God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
Another misconception that indoctrination endeavors to promulgate is that we must depend upon our own might if we are to survive the world situation. If we start on a national, level and work this concept down to that of the individual, we can see this phrased in the following way: the world’s survival is dependent upon your countries might; the country’s survival depends upon the military’s might; the military’s survival is dependent upon each individual serviceman’s might; and the serviceman’s survival is dependent upon himself, by his knowledge of weaponry as well as his acquired skills in this field. Again the question is asked, is this type of thinking in line with the thinking of our Heavenly Father?
We Must Learn . . . to Depend on God
To deal with this on both the national level as well as the individual one, we do not have to think very hard on this subject without recognizing that Nebuchadnezzar adopted this very viewpoint. It was he who uttered those infamous words, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of MY power, and for the honour of MY majesty?” (Daniel 4:30) This, of course, was an error on his part, and God showed him this selfsame fact with a severe punishment. Nebuchadnezzar was made to learn that,” . . . the most high ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whosoever He will.” (Daniel 4.:17, 25,26,32.).
The way that God wishes us to act is to depend upon Him for help in whatever problem we have. David offers us a dramatic example in this light when we consider his words in 1 Samuel 17:37. These words were spoken as he met with Saul, just prior to his encounter with Goliath and they truly echo David’s conviction of dependence upon God; “The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.” The only place where deliverance and true protection is to be found is in our Heavenly Father. The Armour that we must put on is the kind listed in Ephesians 6:13-17, because this is the very same type of armour that God Himself bears as we are told in Isaiah 59:16-17. (The only difference between them is that God has the right to vengeance and we do not.) To rely on ones own strength therefore is to invite disaster; this is clearly, in direct contrast with the militaristic point of view! Yet, the choice as to which directive should be accepted is glaring, to wit, the loving entreaty given by our God !
Taught to Act Without Thinking
One of the primary goals in the soldiers training, which is considered by the military to be of extreme importance, is the concept that the soldier must learn to act without thinking. A good soldier is taught to follow orders quickly and unquestioningly without hesitation or thought. He is told that this lesson may well save his life in a combat situation, for if the order barked is to get down and you stop to ask why, you very well may be killed ! This is very true, however the concept is far reaching and does not stop here. The full impact of this notion is to act without thinking in all situations where you are given an order. This, therefore, places the soldier in a conflict situation within himself when he is ordered to do something that is contrary to his principles. In other words, the soldier is sometimes ordered to perform in a way that, if given the option of thought, he may not have done.
God’s teaching is again, in direct opposition to this line of reasoning. God wants us to pause and consider our actions, keeping in mind the consequences those actions will effect in ourselves as well, as in those around us. Consider the words of Proverbs 21:15, “It is joy to the just to do judgement: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.” The child of God considers what he is doing, whereas the opposite is true of those who are not in this group. God has given man the ability, above all other life on this planet, to reason and to choose, and it is by these gifts that we should approach life.
Dare We be in League with those who Oppose Christ
There is one more thought we should briefly explore before closing our discussion of the military. We read some very powerful, and sometimes frightening, passages in scripture that relate to the militaristic events surrounding the return of Christ. It would be well worth the time of the reader to review passages such as: Ezekiel 38-39, Zechariah 14, and Joel 3, just to name a few. While reading those passages consider the following: how would you feel if you found yourself to be in league with those who were on their way to oppose Christ by force ? It is not a pleasant thought! On the one hand you are faced with utter destruction, while on the other hand you are faced with the knowledge that you have directly opposed the Son of God ! There are those who would like to tell us that this fear could be erased if we would serve in non-combat positions, but not even this offers any reconciliation. No matter what capacity we would be performing in, we would still be part of the military machinery that was opposing Christ, which would make us just as guilty as the man on the front line.
Hopefully by now the reader will recognized that we have based our discussion of the topic of conscientious objection upon love. What we need to do now is to clarify this just a bit more. We must perceive that though this is a’primary reason why we as Christadelphians cannot participate in military service, still we are not opposed to war itself. We recognize that it is through these cataclysmic events that God brings about the culmination of His Plan. We know that when Christ returns we may be required to fight at his side, at his command, against those nations that will oppose him (Cp. Zec. 14:5, Jude 14-15.) It is for this reason, therefore, that we are not true pacifists for true pacifists are totally against war. We recognize that until we are told differently, by either God or His son, our mission today is to be an example of love to others around us, in order that they might be able to see God reflected in us, and if possible, to turn from their ways unto life!
There are many areas that one can consider when approaching the topic of conscientious objection and these articles have not been exhaustive in any way, but I do hope that they may have served to engender a beginning of a study in this area. At present we have an active Christadelphian national Service Committee that will be able to help even more in this area. We need to give them our full cooperation and support as they endeavor to prepare us for the days ahead.
Let us also realize in closing, that preparation for an interview with our local draft boards is not without its benefits. At the very least, we will be afforded the opportunity to closely examine our lives and the position we are in as it relates to our God. Let us also not forget that if we are prepared for the one truly great “interview” at the judgement seat of Christ, we will be more than adequately prepared for an interview by our local draft boards. So let us prepare for both now, while there is yet time, with a prayerful consideration of our scriptures, our lives, and both our love for our Heavenly Father as well as His love for us.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One