Bluffton University hosted members of The Center on Conscience and War in Yoder Recital Hall April 3. The group conducted a forum presentation to discuss pacifism and conscientious objection.
The program cover for This Evil Thing, which was performed at Bluffton April 3. Photo by Joel Jacobson
Among the presenting group was British actor and playwright, Michael Mears, who later in the evening put on a one-man-show entitled “This Evil Thing,” which told the tale of Bert Brocklesby, an English conscientious objector who, along with his fellow pacifists, was persecuted during World War I for refusing to fight or contribute to the war effort.
Mears has clear hopes for what he wants people to take away from the play.
“I want people to think about what they would have done in [Bert’s] situation. The other thing I think to take away, I would hope, is the importance of standing up for what you know in your heart is truly right.”
The forum presentation and the one-man play brought attention to the many forms of persecution that COs (conscientious objectors) face in the midst of a draft or conscription. These forms of persecution included imprisonment, denial of work and voting rights and, in Bert Brocklesby’s case, the threat of execution.
Another theme of the play and the presentation was the concept of a spectrum of conscientious objection. There is not a single fixed doctrine for COs to adhere to, and each individual must choose what conscientious objection means to them. There are some COs who choose to cooperate with the military and assist in the war effort without participating in combat and there are others who refuse to take part in any act that would contribute to killing or war.
The presenters also addressed some of the stigmas that COs have faced in the past and present. One of the stigmas COs face is they are at times thought to hate soldiers for participating in war.
“Conscientious objectors don’t have any problem with soldiers at all, it’s with governments and military higher-ups and the decisions they make,” said Mears.
Another stigma addressed in the presentations was the idea that a conscientious objector must have a religious background to have a legitimate case for not wanting to participate in war. This stigma was shown in “This Evil Thing” when a socialist and an atheist are trying to apply for conscientious objector status, but are denied because as socialists and atheists they “could not possibly have a conscience.”
While Mears’ play focused on the persecution of COs during World War I, COs still face persecution today.
The flyer for “This Evil Thing” reads “Military conscription still exists…And even today, in many parts of the world, COs are still punished, imprisoned, and even face a death sentence, simply because of their beliefs.”
For more information and insights on conscientious objection or how to apply to be a CO visit www.centeronconscience.org.
For more information on Michael Mears, his “Peace Initiative” or This Evil Thing visit michaelmears.org or facebook.com/thisevilthing.
