“My
first memory of the experience goes back to the initial communication
from the military authorities, inviting me to report for my medical
examination. This document had a rather traumatic effect on me,
and produced a prolonged period of soul-searching. We had been
raised in the Mennonite faith, with the emphasis on non-resistance,
that article of faith that sets the Mennonite churches apart from
its sister churches. Was I going to be a conscientious objector
because of tradition, or was it a matter of personal conviction?
“I
could not reconcile Christ's gospel of love with the philosophy
of animosity, hatred and brutality as it reveals itself on the
field of battled. Why was I to take a life when I could not bestow
a life? Was the cause of humanity greater than the cause of Christ?
He had not deemed His cause worthy of bloodshed. He had commanded
Peter to sheathe his sword when the latter tried to defend His
cause.”
“I
have dwelt at some length on this subject to demonstrate that
many young men of the time (I am sure there were many like myself)
did not take the question of being a CO lightly. It caused many
of us to come to terms with life, with the ultimate realities
of existence, and possibly most important of all, with our relationship
to God.” [Vernon K. Toews, “A CO in World War II” in Klippenstein
ed, Mennonite Memories: Settling in Western Canada ,
272-281]
