The following information is provided to assist military officers in dealing with problems arising from the religious convictions of members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Armed Forces of the United States of America.

Seventh-day Adventists are proud of their country and its government, and they are loyal to its flag and the principles for which is stands. They are ready to serve their nation faithfully, even, if necessary, to give their lives in such service. They ask only that they be allowed to serve in harmony with their deep religious convictions.

Seventh-day Adventists believe and teach that God established both the church and civil government. Therefore, they believe that the Christian has a dual loyalty. The church has to do with religious and spiritual matters while the government or state deals with civil affairs and social order. This principle of separation of church and state is set forth in the First Amendment to the Constitution. Religious liberty is recognized as one of the basic principles of the American way of life.


Sabbath Observance

Believing that they are guided by the teaching of Holy Scripture and the example of Christ and the apostles, Seventh-day Adventists observe the seventh-day Sabbath as taught in the Ten Commandments. According to the Holy Scriptures the Sabbath begins at sunset Friday and closes at sunset on Saturday. Seventh-day Adventists believe that this is holy time and that it is to be kept holy. Adherence to and practice of this belief is a test of fellowship in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Any member of that church who fails in this belief and practice may be dropped from church membership.

In the matter of Sabbath observance, members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church would not feel free to participate in routine duties on Sabbath. Routine activities would be those activities which could be done either by others or at times other than on Sabbath. This would/could lead to trading duty or re-scheduling to accommodate the spiritual need of Sabbath observance.

In all conditions of grave emergency and danger to human life, Seventh-day Adventists gladly minister to the wounded and the sick on the Sabbath as on other days. Under such circumstances they do not hesitate to perform duty which will relieve suffering and minister to human ills.

When such emergency conditions do not exist they request relief from ordinary routine duties on the Sabbath. 

They request permission to use this holy time for purposes of worship, meditation, and religious activities in harmony with their understanding of the Bible and its teachings.

Seventh-day Adventists do not desire to lighten their duties because of the Sabbath. They are willing to accept duty at some other time including Sunday, thus accommodating those who wish to be relieved on that day. If this exchange of duty is not sufficient to make up for time lost by their being released from duty on the Sabbath, they are willing to accept duty at other times in order that their total duty time will not be less than that of others in the same military organization.

Because of the very strict beliefs and teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in regard to Sabbath observance, sincere Seventh-day Adventist military personnel will feel compelled to ask for the privilege of Sabbath observance as soon as they report to a new command, for to fail in the observance of even one Sabbath would cause them to violate their conscience in this respect and even one such violation would convict them of living under condemnation and sin.

Seventh-day Adventists believe that God will hold the individual responsible for living in harmony with His will as revealed in Holy Scripture. It is the duty of the church to instruct its members in matters of right and wrong. After such instruction has been given, it is the individual responsibility of each member to act in harmony with this teaching.
The keeping of the Sabbath holy is an obligation which the individual owes both to God and to the church. If a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church faces a grave issue concerning Sabbath observance, the church cannot in any way release some one from the divine obligation to keep the Sabbath by suggesting that they disobey that which both they and their church believe to be a most important command to observe that day as holy time. The church expects members to live up to their conscientious convictions insofar as they reflect the teachings of the church. Therefore, the church must support the stand that a member takes in harmony with such convictions.

In harmony with the basic principle of religious freedom which lies at the very foundation of our nation, the various branches of the Armed Forces have made provision in their regulations for officers to release from duty on the Sabbath (Saturday) Seventh-day Adventists according to their religious convictions.