MILITARY TRAINING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2359, 27 November 1908, Page 3

MILITARY TRAINING.

A REMARKABLE PETITION. Parliamentary records embrace many petitions couched in unusual terms, -and one that was somewhat 'unique was presented to the Commonwealth Minister for Defence the other day. It was against- the Minister’s own Bill, and was from “the arranging brethern of the Melbourne Christadelphian Eeelesia, per S. Mathews, recording brother.” The petition asked for exemption to members of the sect from the provisions for compulsory training for military purposes, as set forth in tlie Defence Bill now before Parliament. By way of explaining their position, the petitioners said they were “a community of religious people known a.s C-hristadelphians (the -Seed of Abraham), who have embraced the Ho lie of Isreal (Acts xxvi.. 6; Acts xxviii.. 20). and have therefore disassociated themselves from all political and ecclesiastical parties of the world (James iv., 4; 11. Cor. vi., 17), and are waiting for the personal reappearance of the Messiah of Israel (I. These, i., 10; Matt, xix., 28-29) to set- up a Divine PoliticoEcclesiastical Government upon Earth (Dm. ii. 44; Acts, xv., 16; Bom. xi., 26), which shall overthrow all institutions and . Governments existing contemporaneously with His reappearance, and bestow an immortal nature upon such of His brethren as He sh ill approve of, to qualify them for official status in the Government (I Co. xv., 50; Rev. ii., 26-27: Rev. xxii., 12). That during the absence of the Messiah from the earth, your petitioners are commanded by Him not to bear arms (Matt. xxvi.. 52; Rev. xiii.. 10) in th<> .service of anv political or ecclesiastical system now extant. under pain of exclusion from external life. iSuch commandments are to be found in the Holy Scriptures, forbidding to kill (James iv., 2; James ii., 11), to resist not evil (Matt, v., 39; Rom. xii., 19), to bless them that- curse, do good to them that hate, pray for them who despitefully use and persecute, and to do to men as they would men should "do to them (Matt, v., 44: Rom. xii., 20). Your petitioners fully recognise His other commandments to submit lo the laws enacted by the Governments under whose jurisdiction they may happen to sojourn (Rom. xiii., 5-7 ; I. Peter ii., 13-15), when these laws do not conflict with divine laws: where they ■do conflict, as the;." believe they do in the present cause of petition, they believe that they are compelled to obey God .rather than man (Acts iv., ID ; Acts v.. 29).”

The petitioners admitted that they wore few in number, and for various reasons were not likely to become rapidly enlarged as a community. The granting of the request (which was acceded to by tlie Confederate States during the Civil War) was not likely therefore to cause any embarrassment.