January - February 2002 The Sabbath Sentinel

The Question

Dear Dr. Davis,

Happy Sabbath wherever you may be--ship or shore.

The religious habits of those who profess to keep the Sabbath never cease to amaze me. After reading your response to Kris Erskine as published in the November-December issue of The Sabbath Sentinel and learning that you are in the Navy, I was stunned. I read your response twice and then clicked onto the sites you recommended. The matter of a person keeping the Sabbath in the military rests not with the DoD [ U.S. Department of Defense -- ed. ] or with any elected official. It rests solely on the discretion of the company commander. Of course, I am fully aware that you know that so the question must be asked, "If your immediate commander refused to let you observe the Sabbath, even though it was reasonable for him to accomodate your request, what would you do?" See, I have been through it. Back in 1963 when I first heard of the true Sabbath, I was serving in the USAF in California. I was sitting on top of the world with the new truth I had found and was determined to keep the Sabbath, which I did--for a while. But, other airmen started complaining. Guess what? My only recourse was to abandon the Sabbath which, unfortunately at that time, I did. I'm here to predict that short of miraculous intervention and if you stay in the Navy, you will, too.

In your answer to Kris you wrote: "The day may come when our constitution may not always serve the interests of such freedoms when this country by repudiating its constitution will `speak as a dragon'. But until such time I serve God and my country with a clear conscience." I have to ask, "What will you do then?" Pardon me, I thought you were a servant of God. That is NOT a judgement --it is only an observation.

In the final analysis, you are correct to quote Paul's words as recorded in Romans 14:4 -- "Who art thou that judgeth another man's servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand" (or fall).

Best,

Tommy West

Reply

Dear Tommy,

Thank you for your interest in The Sabbath Sentinel article that I wrote and your observations. I have never had a crisis over observing the Sabbath in the almost 20 years of my naval career. When I served in the fleet, I almost had an occasion where this might have been a problem. After newly reporting aboard my ship, my master chief formed a "working party" to prepare for last minute duties before we were to get underway. The working party was scheduled for Saturday. I did not immediately raise an objection to this order. Instead I met casually with the master chief and brought up the subject of the working party that we were to have on Saturday. I asked him, "Why couldn't we have the working party on Sunday?" He replied, "Oh no, that is the Sabbath and we could not do it for that reason." I replied that Saturday was my Sabbath and I would be glad to do my part of the responsibilities on Sunday. I put him in a position where he could not refuse to accommodate me, without it appearing as religious discrimination. This was because of the reason he gave for not having a working party on Sunday. I used his own rationale for my Sabbath convictions. During my four years on the ship, I never was challenged or had an incident that would put me in a position where I would have to violate my Sabbath consciousness. In fact, I became the "lay reader" for Sabbath-keepers (SDA's and Jewish believers) on my ship.

You asked what would I do if I were put in a position where I would have to violate my conscience regarding Sabbath observance or what would or will I do if I could no longer support my constitution and my country with a clear conscience. The answer is simple, I would ask to be discharged from the military. I have always been prepared to do so if it came to that. Even though I have advanced through the ranks and have received many military honors, I have always held myself and my military career upon the altar of God's service.

I do not expect that in the remaining years I have before I retire that I will be faced with such a dilemma as you predict. The highest ranking officer of the Navy Chaplain Corps is a Seventh-day Adventist. He has served to protect the rights of all Sabbath-keepers in the Navy. He is very much respected in the military community and has acted as the personal chaplain to the president of the United States.

But the time is sure to come where Sabbath-keepers will not be able to serve our country when this country will repudiate the principles of its constitution to make a law respecting the religious faith of the Christian majority in the advocacy of Sunday sacredness. When such a time comes, all Sabbath-keepers in the military would be morally bound to request a discharge, even our SDA Admiral, the Chief of Navy Chaplains.

I cannot speak to your experience in the USAF. But I can speak to the experience of Desmond Doss, an observant SDA Sabbath-keeper during his entire Army career and the recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor bestowed on him by President Truman. He openly proclaimed his Christianity as an observant Sabbath-keeper. Sabbath-keepers have many resources to appeal to for their military rights to observe the Sabbath as other military members have for their rights to observe Sunday.

Even today where I am stationed in the Great Lakes, I speak for the rights of our Sabbath-keeping recruits both SDA and Jewish to keep the Sabbath and the high holy days. It has been my experience that the commanders with whom I have had to interact over this question on behalf of our recruits has been accommodating to their religious needs and convictions in the same manner they are with "Christians" who opt to go to Sunday services and who observe Easter, Christmas and other holy days of obligation. Our SDA and Jewish services on Friday nights are well attended.

God has granted me favor and wisdom during my years in the military in dealing with the question of Sabbath and holy day services for myself and on behalf of others. This is not to say this will always be, for we are sure that the day will come where our faith will be incompatible with not only military service but even allegiance to our country whose legislators will one day act to trample on the rights and conscience of others in legislating against God's holy law. Even if allowed to observe the Sabbath under such conditions, it is my opinion that principle would demand our withdrawal from military service on conscientious and moral grounds.

Sincerely,

  Sidney L. Davis, Jr., president
  The Bible Sabbath Association

TSS

January - February 2002 The Sabbath Sentinel