Your ShelfYour Projects

For Conscience' Sake

7%

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Feb 21, 1911

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 38, No. 8.

Read the full edition

For Conscience' Sake

By Editor

The German Government "Run Up Against a Snag"

It would seem that Protestant Germany, the land of Luther, would be the last to prosecute for conscience' sake, the last to oppress men who were willing to suffer rather than disobey God. In the Oakland "Tribune" of February 4 is a despatch from the well-known publicist, Malcolm Clarke, dated Berlin, February 4. He says:
"The Kaiser and his army have run up against a snag in the person of a private soldier named Naumann, who, for religious reasons, will not do any work on Saturday, and who is in danger of spending the rest of his life in prison for his principles."
Naumann, who is an Adventist, declares that Saturday is the real Sabbath, and work on that day is sinful. When he became a soldier in 1907 he refused to obey orders between sunset Friday and sunset Saturday.
Minor punishments were absolutely without effect on him. He merely declared that his conscience forbade him to perform any kind of labor on the Sabbath.
Three months' imprisonment was followed by a further sentence of two years. That had no effect, and the punishment was increased to five years.
On appeal, the higher military court retried the case. Questioned by the presiding officer, Naumann declared that as a Christian his duty was to obey the religious law and refuse all work on the Sabbath.
"I was sworn in with a Christian oath," he said, "and therefore can not violate the commandments of God. One must regard God as the highest authority, and obey Him first."
One medical expert declared that he was sane, and the other that he was not. The court accepted the former view, and confirmed the sentence of five years' imprisonment, after which Naumann will be required to serve the remainder of his two years.
The heading to the article is "Soldier Defies Kaiser and Army." But he does not defy them. He does not in any way place himself against them. All the antagonism on his part is consequential, not objective, not of purpose. He has in mind but the one thing — doing duty; and the higher law of duty, to the Christian, is to do God's will as he sees and knows it. Such a man ought to be respected. Neither Germany, nor any other country on earth, has too many of him. But the struggle is not between Germany and Naumann; it is between Germany and God. She may condemn one private soldier; that of itself would be of little interest to a government; but when the principle of liberty and right is involved, woe be to that land whose government deliberately places itself on the side of tyranny.
May Naumann prove faithful. He is standing for principles which made the Reformation possible, and which in turn made Germany. If Germany repudiates those principles, she must abide the consequences; let our readers hope and pray that the soldier of God may stand fast.
It is strange, isn't it, friends, that a man should be imprisoned for seven years by a professedly Christian government for observing the same day that our Lord Jesus Christ observed? On which side think you the Master will stand?