Defence Minister Wallin: Jehovah’s Witnesses should take part in non-military national service

[sianrose]

Defence Minister Wallin: Jehovah’s Witnesses should take part in non-military national service

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“The exemption from the obligation of military service granted to the Jehovah’s Witnesses is unfair, and should be abolished”, Minister of Defence Stefan Wallin (Swedish People’s Party) told the Finnish commercial television channel MTV3 on Wednesday.

In Wallin’s opinion, the Jehovah’s Witnesses could perform a non-military national service in their congregations.

Jehovah’s Witnesses, who refuse to take part in the military service or any of its non-military alternatives (siviilipalvelus, see link below) for reasons of conscience, were exempted from the compulsory national service in 1987.

Article Source: HELSINGIN SANOMAT

[boodles]

The article says that Jehovah's Witnesses refuse the alternative non-military service, I think called siviilipalvelus. I wonder if that is true and if it is, why?

[CareGiver]

Hi Lorraine,

True or not true. It leaves the idea that we should prepare ourselves for more work or even forced work from opposing parties. This would also mean that we live in the time of the end. Remember that ancient Israelites had undergone forced labor (which looks like the sivilipalvelus as it mean). Later because of too much afflictions then Jehovah send Moses to save Jehovah's people.

[Astrid]

In Austria every 18 year old male is called up for military service for 6 months, but for those who don't want to there's the option to do community service (ambulance, in nurse homes,...) for 8 months. About 20 years ago this "community service" option was ruled by the defence ministry, but this has changed in the meantime, so young brothers have no problem to choose that part.

[trottigy]

In Austria every 18 year old male is called up for military service for 6 months, but for those who don't want to there's the option to do community service (ambulance, in nurse homes,...) for 8 months. About 20 years ago this "community service" option was ruled by the defence ministry, but this has changed in the meantime, so young brothers have no problem to choose that part.

Astrid, can ones use the training for the alternate service to get a job after?

[Martin]

Hi from Finland everybody. Sorry about bad language, you will just have to tolerate it.

I have been following this public discussion. As I have understood (before this conversation), fulfilling the non-military national service (or civilian service, siviilipalvelus) in Finland would be a question of conscience and there would be no biblical reason to refuse doing it. At least with given conditions: to fulfill it in the congrication with our terms (plough the snow on the kingdom hall's parking place ect.).

This hasn't really been a matter here before, because the law changed in 1985 giving the total liberation from military service for peace-times and we really haven't had to think whether or not go to the non-military national service. Before that, brothers went to jail cause the new stand toward NMNS wasn't revised yet by governing body. Some had sentence for 3 years, later for 9 months.

Anyway: spokesman of JW:s, Veikko Leinonen, has pointed out a problem. He says that in the law there's a mention about the grounds doing non-military national service and it is national defence, which reason jw:s don't accept. And therefore, he says, this grounds/reason (don't know the exact word) should be changed, and "there is no another reason given so far".

Of course it also seems so that there is resistance to abandon the rights we already had.

But the defence minister Stefan Wallin has promised to fix this thing so that jw:s could accept it. We'll see what happens. We'll see, will he, as representative of minority finnish swedes, also remove the same kind of liberation given to finnish swedes who live in Åland Islands.

[Astrid]

Astrid, can ones use the training for the alternate service to get a job after?

Not really, as they only work as aides, not doing very important stuff. But many boys feel inspired by the work and choose it as a occupation; I know one young brother who did the service in an ambulance, and loved it so much so he started the training afterwards and is now a fully trained ambulanceman (right word?).

The officials don't want to make it to attractive, the boys don't get much money (less than when they do military service). I don't know exactly how many choose this alternate service, but I'd say 50 % do.

[rocket]

Astrid, can ones use the training for the alternate service to get a job after?

Not really, as they only work as aides, not doing very important stuff. But many boys feel inspired by the work and choose it as a occupation; I know one young brother who did the service in an ambulance, and loved it so much so he started the training afterwards and is now a fully trained ambulanceman (right word?).

The officials don't want to make it to attractive, the boys don't get much money (less than when they do military service). I don't know exactly how many choose this alternate service, but I'd say 50 % do.

ambulanceman=> EMT / Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician

[razor297]

Hi Mary Grace

Good point you made about the Israelites as a precedent. I never thought of it that way in relation to it and military service. We don't have that issue here in Australia as we don't have military conscription. That was discontinued in 1972 when Australia pulled out of Vietnam. Now that there is to be an American base in the top end at Darwin I don't see us having this issue in the future. Still, it is something to think about as one never knows what Satan will use as a tactic. Pressure has and is continuing to mount daily and I sense as you do that the end is near and there is much work to do