Should Adventists be involved in war? What is the church’s stand on warfare?
From the very beginning, Seventh-day Adventists have been opposed to war. One of the earliest General Conference sessions (1867) voted the statement that “the bearing of arms, or engaging in war, is a direct violation of the teachings of our Saviour and of the spirit and letter of the law of God” (http://archives.gc.adventist.org/ast/archives).
In other words, war is a tragic distortion of God’s plan for His creation, and Adventists cannot support such violence. As a result, Adventists are “compelled to decline all participation in acts of war and bloodshed as being inconsistent with the duties enjoined upon us by our divine Master toward our enemies and toward all mankind” (GC Session statement, Review and Herald, May 23, 1865).
Jesus told us to love our neighbor as ourselves. (Mark 12:31). He told Peter to put away his sword (John 18:11). In fact, throughout Scripture there is a strong call for God’s people to be peacemakers; reconcilers, healers of society. (Isa. 58:12; Matt. 5:9; 2 Cor. 5:17-19 ).
One of the first actions of the newly-formed Adventist church (1865) was to produce a document on “the sinfulness of war,” and to appeal to state governors for conscientious objector status. The United States Civil War, which some Christians called a “just war” because it was against the evil institution of slavery, was not to be supported by Adventists fighting directly. Ellen White wrote “God’s people . . . cannot engage in this perplexing war, for it is opposed to every principle of their faith. In the army they cannot obey the truth and at the same time obey the requirements of their officers” (Ellen White, Testimonies for the Church, Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Assn., 1948, vol. 1, p.361.
It would be worth taking a look at a recent church statement that also touches on this topic. You can find A Seventh-day Adventist Call for Peace at http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/statements/main_stat52.html.
I don’t want to fight in the army, but what if there’s a draft?
Adventists are encouraged to seek conscientious objector status, or at the least, non-combatant status. That means you don’t bear arms. In some countries there are other kinds of national service you can do, such as work in hospitals. The United Nations has declared that there should always be alternatives to military service, but not all countries have complied. In many countries Adventists are given non-combatant status.
If there is a draft, you need to find out what the process is to register your objection to serving in the armed forces. Your local church organizations can help you with this process. In the United States, the National Service Organization provides help and information for Adventists who are called to military service (http://www.adventistchaplains.org/national.htm).
You must decide personally what your position is. It is important to read about the subject and understand what it involves. One list of reasons “Why Seventh-day Adventists Cannot Engage in War” is given by George Amadon in the Review. (Review and Herald, March 7, 1865. Available at: http://www.altrue.net/site/peace)7)
The Seventh-day Adventist Church believes you need to make up your own mind, according to your conscience, on this important issue. Freedom of conscience is given to every member, though the church does make it very clear that participation in violence and acts of war is unacceptable.
For example, after explaining that “in peace and in war we decline to participate in violence and bloodshed,” an official church statement also declares “we grant to our church members absolute liberty to serve his country at all times and in all places, in accord with the dictates of his personal conscientious conviction”(Review and Herald, March 6, 1924).
The church continues to provide help to both those who suffer for their convictions, and those who choose to serve in the military.