Need: The silence in most parishes about the morality of military service leaves many people presuming that the Church has nothing of moral significance to say about wars, peace, and military service, implying that being in the armed forces is just another job.
Main Audiences:
- Parish teenager class or group
- Parents of children up through age 19 – four options
- Parents of adult children in the military
- Parish clergy
- Episcopalians in the military
Content:
- De-glorify war by presenting all of its destructive costs: human, environmental, property, and financial.
- Christian perspectives on war and peace to include the biblical concept of peace, the sources and varieties of Christian pacifism, holy war, and Just War Theory.
- Christian and civic moral responsibility in a secular democracy
- A Christian’s moral responsibility for public policy and political participation (voting, advocacy, campaigning)
- Should potential draftees register?
- Should eligible people join the all-volunteer force? Potential consequences and options for following one’s conscience include: absolute obedience to government policy; non-violent resistance against all war, even if illegal; apply for status as an absolute conscientious objector or for alternative service; fight only just wars and refuse to fight unjust wars, regardless of legal consequences.
- What are a person’s options once in the military?
Media Approach:
- EPF website posting
- EPF C.O. Action Group emailing similar to the EPF/PIN network
Materials:
- What joining military entails (e.g., types of discharges)
- The Just War theory’s history and criteria
- Alternative service options
- Clergy: Lectionary readings relevant to the above
- Clergy & parish use of the forthcoming CCW handbook for military chaplains on the issue of conscientious objection
- Availability of speakers, counselors, and other resources
