JW pressroom: Is military service a conscience matter now?

[Ivar]

20 October this post appeared on Instagram by JW pressroom. It says "Each one of Jehovah’s Witnesses personally decides whether to decline military service, based on a conscience shaped by deep Bible study."

Is this a change? Or just a different way of using the term? In older articles the term civilian / alternative service is used. My wife served as a need greater in Thailand. She told me that Thailand has compulsory military service. And that some brothers choose to work in the army kitchen. So they are non-combatants. But you probably can't call it civilian service. (And could you accept military service, but as a medic?) I suppose that's why the post says military service is a personal choice. 

What do you think?

 

[Sepie93]

20 October this post appeared on Instagram by JW pressroom. It says "Each one of Jehovah’s Witnesses personally decides whether to decline military service, based on a conscience shaped by deep Bible study."

Is this a change? Or just a different way of using the term? In older articles the term civilian / alternative service is used. My wife served as a need greater in Thailand. She told me that Thailand has compulsory military service. And that some brothers choose to work in the army kitchen. So they are non-combatants. But you probably can't call it civilian service. (And could you accept military service, but as a medic?) I suppose that's why the post says military service is a personal choice. 

What do you think?
 

Well, isn't it always a personal decision to decline military service? This is how I always understood it personally.
I mean, nobody forces someone to say no to military service.

Also: when conscientious objectors are called for military service, they have to explain themselves why they can't do military service, based on what they know the Bible teaches. And the Bible teaching is clear. But we still have to make the decision to follow it personally.

They can't say: "oh, I'm a JW, we don't do that. Don't know why though; ask my elders."


Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-S911B met Tapatalk

[secondofseven]

😉😁😎

 

 

[Ivar]

31 minutes ago, Sepie93 said:

Well, isn't it always a personal decision to decline military service? This is how I always understood it personally.
I mean, nobody forces someone to say no to military service.

So it was always a personal choice to accept military service as one of Jehovah's Witnesses? (Like Desmond Doss during WW2.) 
As a child, I didn't see any problem in serving as a medic. But my parents (and others) said it wasn't allowed. This means that either they were wrong in their understanding, or that something has changed.
 

35 minutes ago, Sepie93 said:

Also: when conscientious objectors are called for military service, they have to explain themselves why they can't do military service, based on what they know the Bible teaches. And the Bible teaching is clear. But we still have to make the decision to follow it personally.

 

Yeah, it is so important to make the decision for yourself! Thank you for pointing this out. The IG post seems to imply that you can accept military service as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, a decision made with your Bible trained conscience. 

You could say the same about blood: "Each one of Jehovah’s Witnesses personally decides whether to accept blood components or fractions, based on a conscience shaped by deep Bible study."

But maybe this was always the case. And it was just misunderstood by many where I live. The Governing Body only says that we don't "take up weapons of warfare". (Why Don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses Go to War?)

So to forbid doing military service that doesn't involve taking up weapons of warfare seems to go beyond what is written. I never realised this before, until this jw press post! It is nice that the GB doesn't make a lot of rules, but gives all of us the opportunity to make personal decisions. (Such as working in the army's kitchen, as those Thai brothers are doing.) ❤️ 

 

[Ivar]

2 minutes ago, secondofseven said:

😉😁😎

Ah I missed this! Maybe someone can combine the topics? Or how does this work?