Obeying God Rather than Man

A conscientious objector is a person who refuses to serve in the armed forces or bear arms on moral or religious grounds. Historically, many conscientious objectors to war have been imprisoned and even executed when their beliefs conflicted with that of the government.

Some conscientious objectors are willing to do noncombatant service in the armed forces and others are conscientiously opposed to all military service. In modern times, some countries have made provision for and grant conscientious objector status on religious grounds. Some of these countries provide an alternative to combatant service such as civilian service as a substitute for conscription or military service.

Christians should make all effort to work within the parameters of their government’s legal system to be a contributing citizen as required by law. When this comes into direct conflict with the spirit of Christ, then the Christian must in humility obey the law of God rather than the law of man. ■