Military Service

Jehovah's Witnesses are absolute conscientious objectors who refuse to serve in the military in any capacity, including non-combat roles. They base this position on their understanding of Christian neutrality: true Christians are subjects of Jehovah's Kingdom, not of the nations, and must not take up arms in the political conflicts of the nations (Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3). They point to the early Christians' refusal to serve in the Roman military as precedent.

Beyond military service, Jehovah's Witnesses maintain political neutrality: they do not vote, run for political office, salute national flags, sing national anthems with nationalistic fervor, or celebrate national holidays. They will, however, comply with civil laws in other respects (taxes, traffic laws, etc.) as long as those laws do not violate Jehovah's requirements. They have faced imprisonment, torture, and death in numerous countries—including Nazi Germany (where they were sent to concentration camps for refusing military service), the Soviet Union, and Malawi—for their refusal to participate in military or political activities. In countries that allow alternative civilian service, many Witnesses accept this as a compromise; in others, they have accepted imprisonment rather than any military-related service.