Conscientious Objection Law and Legal Definition
Conscientious objection is defined as "a firm, fixed, and sincere objection to participation in war in any form or the bearing of arms, by reason of religious training and/or belief. Army regulations construe religious training and beliefs broadly to encompass a sincere and meaningful belief which occupies in the life of its possessor a place parallel to that filled by the God of another, or, in the case of deeply held moral or ethical beliefs, a belief held with the strength and devotion of traditional religious conviction." Watson v. Geren, 2009 U.S. App. LEXIS 23959, 16-17 (2d Cir. Oct. 30, 2009) Conscientious objectors are classified into two:
- 1. Persons who object to serve in military in any capacity and result in full discharge; and
- 2.Persons who object to serve in combat but their objections allow them to perform non-combatant military service.
