Under current military policy in the U.S., qualifying as a conscientious objector exempt from a war effort is available only to those who object to all war. Only pacificists, not those who reject a particular war based on religious reasons, are allowed to claim that status. A group of religious, civil rights, and veterans activists now argue, however that the Pentagon should expand that definition to include more nuanced objections.
Leaders of the coalition, the Truth Commission on Conscience in War, assert that broadening the definition would probably lead to more troops applying to become conscientious objectors. But it would also allow for greater religious freedom in the military and improve morale among the troops, they say.
“For many of us, it is a religious freedom issue,” said Rita N. Brock, one of the main organizers of the commission. “The only religious conscience protected now is for pacifists. But the majority of people are not pacifists. I’m not a pacifist. We have a relative view of when violence is appropriate and not appropriate.”
