The Watchtower Society Receives New Light on
Alternative Military Service
(From: Investigator No. 49 1996 July)
B J Kotwall
Alternative service is civil service offered by many
governments in place of actual military service to conscientious
objectors.
The first president of the Watchtower Society (WTS)
did not consider it wrong for Christians to perform military service
or alternative service.
The second WTS president forbade both military service
and alternative service for Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs). This rule,
enforced for some sixty years, placed thousands of JWs around the
world in prisons and some died as a result.
In The Watchtower (WT) of May 1 1996 the WTS's
stance on alternative service was reversed. Alternative service
is again permitted!
Raymond Franz, author of Crisis of Conscience
(1983), was a member of the JW Governing Body from 1971 to 1980.
In this book he says that a proposal for changing the policy on
alternative service was dealt with by the Governing Body in 1978.
A two-thirds majority vote was not attained and therefore the issue
was shelved.
Franz wrote:
The official position of the Watch Tower Society, developed
during the Second, World War, is that if one of Jehovah's Witnesses
accepts such alternative service he has "compromised", has broken
integrity with God. ...Since it [alternative service] is offered
in place of military service and since military service involves
(potentially at least) the shedding of blood, then anyone accepting
the substitute becomes "bloodguilty"... In obedience to
this policy over the years literally thousands of Jehovah's
Witnesses in different countries around the world have gone
to prison rather than accept provisions for alternative service.
There are Witnesses in prison right now in for this reason.
Failure to adhere to the Society's policy would mean being viewed
automatically as "disassociated" and being treated the same
as being disfellowshiped...
From...November 1977 until February 1980 the Governing Body
of Jehovah's Witnesses had tried on six separate occasions to
resolve the issue without success...the inability of the Governing
Body to achieve that indispensable two-thirds majority meant
that male Jehovah's Witnesses in any country who acted according
to their conscience and accepted alternate service as a proper
government requirement, could still do so only at the cost of
being viewed as outside the organization, equivalent to expelled
persons.
(pp. 101, 102, 131)
The May 1 1996 WT does not mention or admit to any change in
policy and makes no reference to the previous stand and its change
from the stand previous to that.
It is common practice for the WTS to omit mention
of previous doctrine when introducing changes. This hinders newer
JWs from knowing what was taught previously and in the present instance
means no apology is made to those JWs who went to prison needlessly
or to their families.
As shown in my previous articles the WTS has made
thousands of changes in doctrines and interpretations in the past
80 years. Yet it also teaches that JWs alone are the "true religion"
and says of true religion: "its teachings must all be in full harmony
with God's Word." (The Truth that leads to Eternal Life 1968 p.130)
It follows that both sides of thousands of doctrinal
flip-flops are all, "in full harmony with God's Word."
Below is reproduced a set of quotes showing how steadfast
and uncompromising the stand on alternative service was.
Alternative Military Service
The Watchtower 1898 July 1 p. 2332
If, therefore we were drafted, and if the government refused to
accept our conscientious scruples against warfare ... we should
request to be assigned ... to some other non-combatant place of
usefulness...
The Watchtower 1898 August 1 p. 2345
(There is) no command in the Scriptures against military service.
Awake! 1974 December 8 p. 23
On March 26, 1971 three representatives of Jehovah's Witnesses [in
The Netherlands] met with a forum representing the ministries of
defence and Justice... One of the points of discussion presented
by the forum was this: "That you wish no part in performing military
service is clear and needs no further explanation. But what really
is your objection to civil, alternative service?"
The Witnesses explained that it is not that they are
opposed to civil service as such, but rather, it is a matter of
strict neutrality. Therefore any work that is merely a substitute
for military service would be unacceptable to Jehovah's Witnesses.
Other questions narrowed the issue down still further. "When a person
objects to military service," the government's servants declared,
"he passes from military jurisdiction on to civilian jurisdiction
and from that moment has nothing at all to do with the military.
Why, then, is accepting of such civil service still so objectionable?"
Willingly accepting such work is objectionable to
the Christian because of what God's law says about the matter: "you
were bought with a price: stop becoming slaves of men." 1 Cor. 7:23
Civilian servitude as a substitute for military service would be
objectionable to the Christian. In effect he would thereby become
a part of the world instead of keeping separate as Jesus commanded.
Yearbook 1982 p. 226-7
As the number of Witnesses increased, the issue was continually
brought to the attention of he public and the authorities alike.
Finally, a law was approved decreeing that those who do not agree
to do alternative service shall be sentenced to one single prison
term, so that our young brothers are now given from 12 to 15 months'
imprisonment...
From 1978 to 1980 there have been, on an average,
500 young brother's a year in prison on account of the neutrality
issue. It is calculated that up to the present, several thousand
Witnesses have kept a clear conscience before Jehovah God in this
respect.
United in Worship of the Only True God 1983 p. 167
An examination of the historical facts shows that not only have
Jehovah's Witnesses refused to put on military uniforms and take
up arms but, during the past half century and more, they have also
declined to do non-combatant service or to accept other work assignments
as a substitute for military service.
The Watchtower 1986 September 1 p. 20
...when Caesar demanded to have God's things, they acted in harmony
with the principles stated at Acts 4:19 and Acts 5:29. Whether the
issue was shedding blood, non-combatant military work, alternative
service, or saluting an image such as a national flag, faithful
Christians took the position that there was no middle ground. In
some cases they were executed because of this stand, Matthew 24:9;
Revelation 2:10
Yearbook 1991 p. 166
.attempts have been made (in Sweden) to have us substitute compulsory
work for military service. In the early 1970's, a governmental committee
was appointed to review the handling of conscientious objectors.
For the sake of uniformity, the authorities wanted Jehovah's Witnesses
to serve on terms similar to those for other religious groups and
do compulsory work as a substitute.
Representatives of the branch office appeared before
the committee, explaining that the Witnesses could not accept any
substitute for military service whatsoever, no matter how praiseworthy
the task.
The Watchtower 1996 May 1 p. 20.
What, though, if the State requires a Christian for a period of
time to perform civilian service that is a part of national service
under a civilian administration? Here again, Christians must make
their own decisions based on an informed conscience. What if the
Christian's honest answers to such questions leads him to conclude
that the national civilian service is a "good work" that he can
perform in obedience to the authorities? This is his decision before
Jehovah. Appointed elders and others should fully respect the conscience
of the brother and continue to regard him as a Christian in good
standing.
Watchtower Society and Alternative Service Part II
(From: Investigator No. 70 2000 January)
B. J. Kotwall
Investigator No. 49 reported the change in
the Watchtower Society's (WTS) stance on alternative service. This
service is offered by some governments as a substitute for military
service to conscientious objectors. [See Investigator No.
49 for WTS quotations forbidding alternative service.]
The change of allowing JWs to opt for alternative
service was published in The Watchtower (WT) of May 1, 1996.
The WTS ban on alternative service had been enforced for about 60
years by threat of disfellowshipping [excommunicating] the JWs who
disobeyed. The ban caused thousands of JWs to go to prisons
and caused the death of some of them. As is the usual practice of
the WTS when revising its doctrines and policies, it did not refer
to its previous stance or admit to enforcing it.
The WTS has now added insult to injury by placing
the blame, of abstaining from alternative service, onto the shoulders
of the hapless JWs who had meekly followed the WTS dictate:
Feeling of Having Suffered Needlessly
In the past, some Witnesses have suffered
for refusing to share in an activity that their conscience
now might permit. For example, this might have been their
choice years ago as to certain types of civilian service. A
brother might now feel that he could conscientiously perform
such without overstepping his Christian neutrality regarding the
present system of things.
Was it unrighteous on Jehovah's part to allow
him to suffer for rejecting what he might do without consequences...
What reason could anyone have to regret having followed his conscience
in taking a firm stand for Jehovah? By loyally upholding Christian
principles as they understood them or by responding to prodding
of conscience they proved worthy of Jehovah's friendship.
Certainly, it is wise to avoid a course that would disturb
one's conscience...
In modern times, there have been some Witnesses
who were very strict in their view of what they would or would
not do. For that reason they suffered more than others.
Later, increased knowledge helped them to expand their view of
matters. But they have no reason to regret having earlier acted
in harmony with their conscience even when this possibly brought
extra suffering. It truly is commendable that they demonstrated
their willingness to suffer in faithfulness to Jehovah...
(The Watchtower 1998 August 15 p. 17 Underlining added)
The above quotation shows the WTS putting the blame solely onto
the JWs and also implicating Jehovah in the process! No
blame is acknowledged by the WTS for wrongly imposing the restrictions,
or for enforcing them with excommunication, or for forbidding
the "independent thinking" by which the JWs might have made the
right decision independently. The WTS has consistently emphasized
unity at all costs amongst JWs and "independent thinking" has
always been discouraged. (WT 1983 January 15 pp. 22, 27)
The above quotation repeatedly blames the JWs and
their conscience for what happened to them. However, the fact is
that the WTS is a totalitarian religious cult where the exercise
of conscience is not permitted. Although the WTS often tells
JWs that they are "free moral agents" (WT 1993 August 15, p. 26;
1981 May 15, p. 6) the facts show that this is mere lip service.
WTS says:
". there cannot even be coexistent tendencies or schools of
thought within the Christian organization." (WT 1983 September
15, p.18)
In short, individualism has no place in the WTS's theology.
Anyone who becomes a JW is shackled to WTS's beliefs
with no room for any variance in thinking:
Approved association with Jehovah's Witnesses requires accepting
the entire range of the true teachings of the Bible, including
those Scriptural beliefs that are unique to Jehovah's Witnesses.
(WT 1986 April 1, p. 31)
The WTS often plays with the lives of JWs by disregarding the
basic morality one expects from Christian religious leaders and
then insults the followers by blaming them for harmful consequences.
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