Our Staff's Statements of Conscience

Alan Gamble

Short Statement
What will I say when asked to give account for how EVERY aspect of my life, including federal taxes, served to further truth, justice and love? As a world citizen I cannot simultaneously love, yet supply through taxes weapons to kill, my brothers, sisters, and/or enemies.

Full Statement
I believe God created and loves everyone and that all religions worship the same God. The purpose of my life is to love in return, and I do this by acquiring and reflecting spiritual virtues such as courage, compassion, service, justice, and nonviolence. The 'Golden Rule' is expressed in a variety of ways across all faiths. I believe the core of the gospel is summed up by "Love your enemies" and a prayer for unity "that they may be one." Therefore, I strive to overcome racial, religious, economic and gender prejudices in order for humanity to mature toward a nonviolent, just, and united future.

While I am deeply thankful to be born a citizen of the United States, I practice world citizenship, learning to treat everyone as family. I am ashamed at the disconnection between the country's ideals and much of governmental practice. The allocation of U.S. federal funds does not reflect God's priorities of justice, love, and unity. Our country proclaims "In God We Trust", yet military expenditures exceed other federal spending. I believe this is blasphemous, as security is practically placed in weapons to "protect our way of life." I see connections between policies which deny funding to education, yet make violence an attractive "choice." For me, paying someone else to kill other people or build weapons which generate fear, torture, or death is equal to the actual act. It is cowardly and morally unjust for me to indirectly pay others to do something I believe is evil and could/would not do personally. Militarism destroys the very fabric of our integrated humanity. We can, and must, leave our children a more united, just, hopeful and joyful world.

I feel coerced by my beliefs and current law into an untenable dilemma. My faith requires me be a "noncombatant" but also to strictly obey my government. God clearly holds governments accountable for forcing the toiling poor to provide armament for conquest. I have yet to be convinced than I am not personally responsible to some degree. Due to my religious belief, I cannot register as a CO to all military service, but am grateful this country accommodates those who cannot participate in any war. I see no reason why any government cannot accommodate COMTs, and thereby get out of a painful entanglement in an individual's free practice of sincere belief.

I have read books by Thoreau, Tolstoy, Gandhi, King, Romero, Chomsky, Kozol, and consider them mentors along with my family, and spiritual teachers. It is exciting for me to witness "ordinary" women (especially mothers) become powerful influences in bringing an end to war. Women are gaining the equality necessary to build practical proactive alternatives to the unnecessary sacrifice of loved ones and dollars to an insatiable idol. A few times over the past 5 years I have joined my mother as she joins with others 7am every Tuesday to pray for peace.

I've built a riverbank trail as an Eagle Scout project, taught music in the Peace Corps, directed a Peace Center, taught life science in Community College, "earned down" for 20 years in order to live in harmony with my conscience and have time available for anti-hunger, spiritual development, racial unity and other community-building activities. Peacemakers need to channel just as much creative, spiritual, financial and intentional energy into nonviolent strategies as those who default to violent "solutions." If we truly believe the core of love found in every faith and person, then nonviolent love is the only natural force. I believe God placed the seed of conscience within each person. Because we are spiritually connected, by nurturing the seedling growing in ourselves, we empower others to grow in faith and love. Each act of conscience is a hopeful antidote to contagious fear.
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Ben Schmidt, Education and Youth Coordinator

Question 1: Describe the beliefs which are the basis for your claim as a conscientious objector. If appropriate, state whether those beliefs would permit you to serve in a noncombatant position in the armed forces, or pay taxes for war.

I am conscientiously opposed to supporting, participating in, and paying for war. I am a Christian, and I believe that Jesus Christ came down to Earth, taught us a better way to live, was crucified, rose from the dead, and ascended into Heaven. I believe that the Bible gives an accurate and historical account to his teachings, and shows us that he did not violently resist those who came to arrest him and kill him.

My beliefs as a conscientious objector are based on the Bible, specifically the following references:

Matthew 5:38-48:  You have heard that it was said, "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth." But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

These verses taken from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount teach us not to repay violence with more violence, but instead to find a Third Way. Jesus teaches us that we are to love our enemies, and I believe that it is impossible to do this while fighting and trying to kill them.

Mark 12:30-31:  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.

These verses give us Jesus' greatest commands. The second tells us to love our neighbors. Again, I do not believe that I can love my neighbor by trying to kill them in war.

Luke 22:49-53:  When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord, should we strike with our swords?" And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.

But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him.

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns."

When the guards came to arrest Jesus one of his disciples drew his sword and cut off one of the guard's ear. Jesus rebuked his disciple for reacting with violence, and then healed the wounded guard. Even when his life was threatened Jesus cared for and loved his enemies.

Jesus did not pay attention to the culture of his time that told him who to like and who to hate. The culture told him to look down upon Samaritans and women, but you can read in John 4:1-42 how he defied these cultural expectations and showed love and compassion to a Samaritan woman. In this same way I believe that I cannot be told who to fight and look down upon. In order to get a human A to kill human B you need to teach A that B is lower than you, and this is not in line with Jesus' teachings.

Romans 12:17-21:  Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

This passage from Paul's letter to the church in Rome again emphasizes how Christians are to live at peace with one another, and not to repay evil with evil.

Jesus has called me to live a life at peace with everyone. This means that I conscientiously opposed to war in any form. I cannot in good conscience participate in war in any position. I also cannot in good conscience pay for war with my taxes. I believe that the government is oppressing me when it forces me to pay for our nation's war machine through my annual federal taxes.

Question 2: Describe how your beliefs developed.

I have always attended a Mennonite church. Tabor Mennonite Church, my home church, is a church with a strong emphasis in peace. We believe that Jesus commands us to live at peace with one another and not repay evil with evil. During my Junior year of high school I took a catechism class in which we studied the Bible and learned about how Jesus commands us to live. Pastor Corey Miller led this class, and was very influential in the formation of my pacifist views. I was baptized on June 2, 2002, and became a member of the Mennonite Church USA.

I attended college at Tabor College, a Mennonite Brethren liberal arts college in Hillsboro, Kansas. I majored in Christian Ministry, and took many Biblical and Religious Study courses that studied the Bible in depth. Dr. Lynn Jost taught the course Life and Teachings of Jesus. This class further shaped my pacifist views through the examination of the way in which Jesus lived, and how he calls us to live. Dr. Jost also taught the class Prophets and Kings in which we studied the major prophets and time of the kings in the Old Testament. We learned how the prophets proclaimed peace, and how God desired peace within the land.

After college I decided to do a year of voluntary service. I am currently a part of the Mennonite Voluntary Service unit in Washington, D.C. I work for the National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund. I chose this job because of my belief that forceful military taxation is governmental oppression. In this job I work to pass a law establishing a fund in which conscientious objectors' taxes would go into. This fund would be used for non-military governmental spending.

Question 3: Describe how your belief affect the way you live and the type of work you do or plan to do.

My current job is at the National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund and you can read about this job in my answer to Question 2.

I plan to become a youth minister in the Mennonite Church USA. I hope to teach youth, and adults, about Jesus' life and message. When people truly look at Jesus' words and actions I believe that they cannot help but acknowledge the peaceful message that reveals itself.

My beliefs in opposition to war have also caused me to be a vocal opponent to wars such as the Iraq War in which we are currently fighting. On March 16, 2007 I came to Washington, D.C. and participated in the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq. I marched with thousands of other people from the National Cathedral to the White House.
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D. Melani Hom, Communication and Outreach Director

The essence of my morals, values, and ethics greatly support making a positive and peaceful impact on society. The concept of indirectly killing individuals through the payment of my federal taxes is severely contradictory to what the essence of my existence is. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., "Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." Why feed more darkness and hate by allocating our taxes toward military purposes, when we have the opportunity in creating vast light and great love with the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Bill, H.R. 1921?
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