In addition, there were others who chose not to fight did so because they felt that it was morally wrong to kill another human being. This was, for some, based on the fact Jesus was a pacifist who insisted on peaceful methods to solve problems. They weren’t trying to be selfish but merely they were looking at the war from a different light; a light that didn’t shower all the glamour and glee that the government made the war look seem to be but one of more realistic consequences.
Imagine you being put in the position of having to kill another human being, would you be able to do so? Why or why not? Don’t you believe that the person you are trying to kill deserve a chance at a full life just like you? Did God not place under his ten commandments the law that it is a sin to kill? These may have been the thoughts of those who protested and argued that they did not want any part with the war. Although at the time the notion of going to war was a romantic one it soon turned out not to be, there were plentiful blood shed and the death tolls were by the hundreds each day. Such conditions are not ones that you’d want to take part in.
Conscientious objectors were often prosecuted if found that they did not fall under any of the agreements laid down by the government in the Military Service Act. To prove that there was a reason from abstaining from the war conscientious objectors had to stand before a court and be judged. Paperwork stating religious excuses was also needed in order to prevent prosecution.
Now you may be wondering what the difference between a conscientious objector and a pacifist is. The major differences between the two were pacifists refused from battling and killing that was necessary in the war but was willing to help thorough other means such as supplying food or being stretcher carriers or even ambulance drivers. Also a pacifist’s opposition to war mainly stems from religious values. A conscientious objector did not want to participate in anything having to do with the war. Also, conscientious objectors didn’t belong to any religious sects such as the Mennonites, and Quakers.
Pacifists also supported the war financially by purchasing war stamps and victory bonds and helped maintain the economy and relieved some of the labour shortage by working in factories, on farms and other facilities. Also by working in such facilities, they helped ease the shortage of many products caused by the war. Conscientious objectors, however, were ridiculed and were threatened with imprisonment or imprisoned for their lack of contribution to the war effort. Many conscientious objectors didn’t even enlist for non-voluntary service. However, discrimination and prejudice towards conscientious objectors and pacifists intensified during the Great War. Immigrants from pacifist sects, along with those from enemy countries such as Germany, and Austro-Hungary, were denied access to Canada. In addition in 1917, Borden took away voting rights from conscientious objectors and pacifists and gave it to women who were relatives of men serving in the war. Many perceived conscientious objectors and pacifists as slackers and cowards and as a result, few acknowledged their contributions.
The ’18 hundreds held double standards against men and women. During the time of the war men who refused to bare arms and fight for the empire were considered cowardly, weak and unworthy. Women on the other hand we known for protesting against allowing their husbands to participate. For women it was considered instinct to disallow their husbands to partake in the war because of the possibility of losing their husbands to the violence. The community and the leaders of the war felt that conscientious objectors should be forced into the front line to fight the war. Another document which was a letter sent from one officer to other suggesting conscientious objectors and pacifists should not be sent to such a “respectable jail” further demeaning the existence of those who opposed the war.
The government implemented conscription later on in the war when they saw the number of Canadian soldiers fall by the hundreds and thousands each day and week. Conscription forced many to learn weaponry, strategy and join the war. The government felt that if it was for the empire everything was necessary!