Religious Training and Belief

The language of DoD 1300.6 can be a little confusing when you first read it. According to §III (a) of DoD 1300.6, your objection has to be based on "religious training and belief." But later on, in §III (B), the Directive states that this means:

Belief in an external power or being or deeply held moral or ethical belief, to which all else is subordinate or upon which all else is ultimately dependent, and which has the power or force to affect moral well-being.

In other words, to qualify as a conscientious objector, you must have "religious training and belief," but this does not mean religion as we usually use the word. You don't have to be part of a church, or believe in a God, or follow any particular religion's teachings. If your belief is deeply held and central to your life, it qualifies under the law.

Many people, with many different beliefs, have qualified for conscientious objector status. The two most important for understanding the legal definition of conscientious objection were men who applied for CO status under the draft law--Daniel Seeger and Elliot Welsh.

Seeger didn't know whether he believed in a god or not. But he did believe in moral forces like good and beauty. In 1965, the Supreme Court held that his belief was "religious" for purposes of the law. It held the same place in Seeger's life as a more traditional religious belief might in someone else's life.

Welsh went even farther than Seeger. He told his draft board, again and again, that his belief wasn't religious. But in 1970, the Supreme Court said that Welsh qualified for CO status because, even though he thought his belief wasn't religious, the law thought it was. In Welsh v. U.S., the Court said that a moral objector could qualify for CO status as long as his or her belief was central to his or her life.

What all this means is that you don't have to worry about whether or not your belief is religious. If you're a member of a church, or if you follow a particular religious teaching, you can qualify for CO status. If you just think it's morally or ethically wrong for you to be part of war, you can still qualify. It doesn't matter what you call your belief. What matters is that you deeply believe it would be wrong for you to be part of war.

Go to next page