| News and Views | June 1944 |
Tomorrow’s News Foreshadowed
“The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.”—Psalm 72:3
IT IS a trite old saying, but true, that coming events cast their shadows before them, News items of our day are characterized by tales of destruction and slaughter. Civilization is caught in a vortex of circumstances which headline the news with accounts of bombings, shellings, sinkings and killings which tend to sicken the hearts of those who give thought to the enormous loss of life involved. Horrible as it is, neither individuals nor nations seem able to change the situation. It is the inevitable result of the reign of sin and death; a reign in which for more than six thousand years selfishness has been exalted as the motive power back of nearly all human endeavor.
The common people of the whole world are against war. Even those nations whose policies of aggression force other nations into war would far rather attain their selfish ends without bloodshed, if that were possible. Because war in all ages has been considered a legitimate means of attaining national ends, people generally still endeavor to reconcile themselves to its awfulness. Yet even today, in the midst of the most devastating struggle of all times, practically all are looking forward, hoping against hope, that the sheer depth of misery and suffering now being experienced will shame and frighten the nations into keeping the peace in the longed-for world of tomorrow.
There are increasing thousands of persons, however, who are convinced that any world order that is built with bombs is certain sooner or later to perish with bombs. In the alphabetical nomenclature of our day, these are designated CO’s, which, being interpreted, means conscientious objectors. These are men and women who, either as a result of religious training, humanitarian concepts, or political philosophy, are conscientiously opposed to the taking of human life. People with such a viewpoint find themselves quite out of harmony with the trend of our day. Their number is small as compared with the millions who are killing their fellow men to make a better world, yet it is becoming increasingly apparent that the stand they are taking foreshadows the really big news of tomorrow—that the world has, found peace by adopting the principles of righteousness and love which are to become operative through the establishment of the Kingdom of Christ.
It is a matter of great satisfaction, betokening truly noble sentiments on the part of the American, British, Canadian and Australian governments, that they recognize the rights of conscientious objectors, and exempt them from military service. We should be glad that we are living in a country where the people are given a legal right not to kill if they feel that it is wrong to do so.
The encouraging part of this is the progress toward true civilization that has been made since the last war. While the number of conscientious objectors to war is pitifully small, yet the number of those who are glad to give them the right to obey their conscience is significant. This, too, is encouraging when we remember the attitude toward objectors during the last war. Undoubtedly, the increasing enlightenment of all classes, divinely forecast and timed for our day, is contributing to this progress, and its flowering to fruition is foretold by Micah, who declares that all nations will eventually say,
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”—Micah 4:2,3
Following are quotations from a few outstanding personalities in the United States who have expressed themselves on the question of the citizen’s right to be an objector to military service. The first is from Francis A. Biddle, the Attorney General, who says:
“Freedom of conscience is a foundation stone of our democracy. Consequently, we must respect the attitude of those persons who honestly and sincerely, on conscientious grounds based on religious training and belief, object to participation in war. The fact that such persons form but a small minority of our citizenry and that we disagree with their position, does not affect our obligation to recognize their convictions.”
Samuel McCrea Cavert, General Secretary of the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America, has this to say:
“Happily the government of the United States has recognized that they should be given opportunity to render their service of national importance under civilian direction. The churches do not ask that the conscientious objector be exempted from his full service to the nation, but strongly support the principle that he should have the right to make his contribution in a way that does not violate his religious convictions.”
G. Bromley Oxnam, Resident Bishop of the Boston Area in Massachusetts, expresses himself on the subject as follows:
“I am not a Conscientious Objector. However, I have the highest respect for the man who has come to the clear-cut conviction that, as a Christian, he cannot engage in war. I have found most of these men patriotic and courageous. They are willing to take the consequences of their position, and some of them have gone to prison.”
The Mayor of New York City, Florello H. LaGuardia, adds his voice supporting the right to be conscientiously opposed to war:
“I wholeheartedly agree that those persons who, for religious convictions, feel that they may not serve in the armed forces of our country should receive fair treatment at the hands of their local draft boards and should be permitted to serve their country in ways other than serving in the armed forces.”
By far the larger number of conscientious objectors in the United States comes from the church groups familiarly known as the Friends (or Quakers), the Brethren, and the Mennonites. There are other, but smaller bodies of Christian people who, as groups, are conscientiously opposed to war, such as the Christadelphians and Bible Students. In addition to these, individual objectors to war are to be found in practically all denominations, Catholic, Protestant and Jewish. Catholic and Jewish bodies, as well as Baptist, Congregational, Methodist, Evangelical Synod, Evangelical Church, Unitarian, Disciples, Presbyterian, Protestant Episcopal, Reformed, Lutheran, Federal Council and World Council groups, have taken official action in which they express their willingness to support the rights of conscientious objectors who are members of their respective organizations. In passing resolutions to this effect, it is emphasized that the patriotism of conscientious objectors should not be called in question.
The Selective Service Act passed by the American Congress makes two provisions for conscientious objectors. On establishing the genuineness of their objections, they may choose to serve as non-combatants under army direction, or if this is against their conscience, they may ask for strictly civilian service, not under military direction. To date, there are approximately seven thousand conscientious objectors in the United States who are serving the country under civilian direction. The number of those who are rendering non-combatant service is unknown.
When the Selective Service Act was passed, some of the church groups negotiated with the government and obtained the privilege of establishing work camps under their direction, in which conscientious objectors could render service to the country.
These camps are now being administered by the American Friends Service Committee, The Association of Catholic Conscientious Objectors, Brethren Service Committee, Commission on World Peace of the Methodist Church, and the Mennonite Committee.
Some thirty-five religious groups, interested in the problems of conscientious objectors, and their support, have set up a unifying agency, the National Service Board for Religious Objectors, 941 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington 1, D.C.
The expense of operating the ninety-nine CO camps in the country is met largely by the church groups sponsoring them, and by limited financial cooperation on the part of individuals and groups sympathetic toward the effort. This may be changed, as there is now considerable agitation to have the government operate the camps at government expense. The view is taken by many that conscientious objectors who serve their country by doing civilian work of national importance, should be entitled, at least, to their food and clothing.
Being a CO is not an easy thing. He is subjected to social pressure, and, oftentimes, suffers the loss of his job. He is frequently opposed by family and friends. Sometimes, indeed, he is subjected to complete social ostracism. He is not exempted from registering for the draft, and must fill out a long questionnaire setting forth his history and the background of his beliefs. He must then convince his local board that he is sincere. All too frequently he finds that the local board with which he must deal is unsympathetic, if not, in fact, hostile. He may appeal from the decision of his local board, and if he does, the FBI then investigates him thoroughly before his appeal comes up. If he loses his appeal, he has, under certain conditions, an opportunity for a final appeal directly to a Presidential Appeal Board. Those who run this gauntlet of investigation and are finally classified as 4E—the classification of conscientious objectors—are pretty sure to be truly sincere in their claims.
These men receive no pay. Depending upon the camp to which a CO is assigned, his work may be in connection with the United States Forest Service, the Soil Conservation Service of the Department of Agriculture, the National Park Service, or the Farm Security Administration Service. Some are assigned to work on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, while others labor with the Fish and Wildlife Service under the Department of the Interior at the National Wildlife Experimental Station in Maryland.
After these men have served ninety days at a CPS (Civilian Public Service) camp they may volunteer for special projects. These special projects include service in mental hospitals; working as farm hands on dairy farms; in general hospitals, serving as nurses and operating room orderlies, as well as working in kitchens. Others work in training schools for boys. Some are engaged as “smoke jumpers”—parachutists who fly to the scene of inaccessible fires, and jump from planes to fight forest fires. Others are charting weather maps for the Department of Commerce in Mount Weather, Va. A number of these young men have volunteered to act as subjects (“guinea pigs”) for various scientific experiments under the Office of Scientific Research and Development, and also under the Surgeon General’s Office.
Thus we have this small army who are crusading for peace in a time of war, not because they wish to oppose the policies of the government, but because their consciences will not allow them to engage in activity which destroys life. They do not expect that their example of peace, will, at any foreseen future date, turn the tide of public sentiment in such a revolt against war as to make war impossible. Nor do the Scriptures indicate that universal and everlasting peace will be established among men by this method. The Scriptures clearly show, on the contrary, that global peace will be established by Jesus, the Prince of Peace; that He returns to earth at His second advent to set up His Kingdom of peace upon the ruins wrought by human selfishness.
Christ’s Kingdom is not established through human efforts—“The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isa. 9:7) But happy will be those who then shall find themselves in sympathy with its program of righteousness and peace. When the advantages of love as a controlling policy for the world are made known to the masses through the educational program of Christ’s Kingdom, doubtless the vast majority will rejoice to take their stand on the side of righteousness and good will toward all. Individuals and nations taking such a stand will bring peace to themselves, and radiate peace and happiness to others. It is to this glorious result of Christ’s Kingdom that the prophet refers in our text, saying: “The mountains [Kingdoms, primary authorities] shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills [subordinate directors] by righteousness.”