Article November 25, 2013 ISSUE

Protected in wartime

Charles S. Cohn

During the Vietnam War, when the United States had a draft, it came clearly to me that I could best fulfill my obligation to my country by volunteering for the draft. An account I’d read of an American lieutenant’s experiences in World War II had shaped my thought. This soldier knew that the Sixth Commandment, “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13 ) came as a direct revelation of God’s law to Moses. Because, the soldier reasoned, this commandment was part of the revelation of God’s law, he could expect God to enforce His own law and never put him in a position in which he would be called on to break this law (see The Story of Christian Science Wartime Activities 1939–1946, pp. 201–202).

My commitment to my service was 100 percent, so was my commitment to God.

This soldier served throughout the war in seven campaigns. He held this thought throughout, while never shirking his duty nor making any effort to avoid using his weapon. Although he was frequently in combat situations and always willing to do his duty, he embraced the fact that God preserves and enforces His own law. He later wrote, “… I was never placed in a position where I was ordered or forced to kill or destroy.

“During my experience in the European and Pacific theaters, I traveled over 30,000 miles on attack transports, and never were any of them damaged in any way.... I honestly and completely give full credit to Christian Science for this proof of protection.”

I felt if that could be this Christian Scientist’s experience, it could be my own. I did everything asked of me throughout my tour of duty, which included service in Vietnam. I was in situations where we were subject to enemy attack by rockets, but I was never in direct combat. I obediently carried my loaded weapon wherever I was ordered to go, prepared to defend myself and my fellows, or to attack the enemy if called on to do so. My commitment to my service was 100 percent, so was my commitment to God. I always embraced the fact that God’s law, His revelation to Moses, was absolute, and currently effective and protective. I was never called on to fire my weapon at anyone, although I fully embraced my responsibility to do so if the situation arose.

I don’t recall ever having a sense in my thought of avoiding combat or of holding back. There was no personal reservation in my service, simply a recognition of the presence and power of God’s law. The Ten Commandments may be laws stated as “Thou shalt not ...,” but they are truly promises of God’s care that say, “If you follow His leading, you will be blessed”!

I love that what Moses shared, what Jesus taught, what Mary Baker Eddy discovered—all those concepts guide us along the way to the entire revelation of divine law. God’s law is always operative, and can never become archaic or outdated.

About the author

Charles Cohn lives in Granite Bay, California.

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