The Dalai Lama

Dorothy Day

Rabbi Isidor Hoffman

Martin Luther King, Jr

Edna St. Vincent Millay

Pope John Paul II

Mark Twain

Church of God General Conference

Whereas, There are many of the members of the Church of God who, as individuals, sincerely and earnestly believe that military service, like similar activity in private life, is, in principle, contrary to the principles of forgiveness and love as taught by Jesus, and later by His apostles, and is, therefore, unchristian; and

Whereas, Many of said Church of God believe, as is reported to have been stated during the administration of ex-president Wilson, that "there is no non-combatant service," but that what is called non-combatant service is a necessary part and parcel of  any and every military campaign; that the participant therein is a contributor to the main service, and, as such, is in harmony with common law and practice of holding one who aids and abets another in the commission of unlawful deeds, a participant and an offender with the instigator and executor of the offense; and

Whereas, The Government of the United States has from its beginning recognized the right of every person to exalt service unto God and His Son above the service to country and to flag (and this without in any manner manifesting disrespect to one's country) in that it has provided, by its Constitution, in Amendment I, Article 1—

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;

   and, Article 1, Section 9, Paragraph 2—

The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it;

   and, further, Article 6, Paragraph 2—

This Constitution . . . shall be the supreme law of the land;

   and

Whereas, The Government has continuously sought to execute the spirit of these constitutionally recognized duties and provisions respecting all persons who furnish conclusive evidence that they, as avowed followers of Christ, are conscientiously opposed to military service; and

Whereas, This Church of God does not profess a creed, other than the Bible, by or according to which it receives or controls its members, and therefore cannot declare, as a matter of denominational creed, as to military service of its membership; therefore

Be it Resolved, That this General Conference of the Church of God, in Conference assembled at Oregon, Illinois, August 17, 1922—

1. Urge each individual member of its number to at all times, in military and all other matters, continue true and faithful in the performance of Christian duty according to personal conviction as to what constitutes faithful and loyal service to God through His Son;
2. Open a book of registration for the use of each and every one of its members, male and female, who may wish to register as one religiously and conscientiously opposed to military service, combatant, non-combatant, or both;
3. Take steps to keep the government properly informed of those thus conscientiously opposed to military service;
4. Use at all times its every good office with the Government in an effort to secure to each such registrant those exemptions from military service to which such persons are Constitutionally entitled;
5. Cancel from the register the names of any and all persons who by habitual life prove lack of sincerity in their conscientious objection to individual military service; and,
6. Be It Further Resolved, That nothing in this resolution shall be construed to constitute a cause for Christian fellowship with reference to such as do, or do not, register as personally opposed to military service, either in a combatant or non-combatant manner.
   (Resolution passed by the General Conference of the Church of God, August 17, 1922)

For further information, contact: David Krogh, President, Church of God General Conference, Box 100,000, Morrow, GA 30260; <info@abc-coggc.org>; www.abc-coggc.org