Interesting. I was looking up 7th Day Adventists reactions to the war to see if there were similarities. I didn't see a parallel story, but I noticed that German 7DA's are apologizing for their pro-War stance during WW1. But I also found it interesting that several Adventists believed (along with Bible students) that Jesus wouldn't delay his arrival beyond the end of 1915.
The Presidents of both Conferences, Pastors Johannes Naether
(Hannover) and Günther Machel (Ostfildern near Stuttgart), recall that
many Adventists at the time saw the outbreak of World War I as “a sign
of the end of the world”. Before the war, a number of Adventists had
served in the military but refused to carry out duties on Sabbath
(Saturday), risking potentially severe penalties. Others considered it
part of their preparation for the imminent return of Jesus to refuse to
carry weapons or to participate in the military immunization program.
However,
shortly after the general mobilization on August 2, 1914, the Central
European leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Hamburg
issued a circular letter recommending enlisted Adventists to “fulfil our
military duties wholeheartedly and with joy," to bear arms, and also to
serve on the Sabbath. This circular and other such publications
provoked a complex protest in Adventist congregations, leading to
tensions and divisions within the church. In 1915 this state of affairs
led to the rising of a separate organization, the self-designated
“Reform Movement”, which accused its mother church, the “greater church”
of a “Babylonian apostasy from the true Advent faith”.
"Today we
recognize and concede," said the two German Seventh-day Adventist
leaders, "that during these disputes our fathers often did not act in
the spirit of love and reconciliation demonstrated by Jesus." Out of
concern for the survival of the denomination in Germany, advice
contradicting the Word of God was given which led to division and
profound hurt. The former Adventist leadership did not adequately fulfil
their responsibility to the Church. They unjustly accused members who
contradicted them of having “fallen” from the truth, and in individual
cases went as far as having people pursued by the authorities. . . .
Today, Pastors Naether and Machel again apologize in the name of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church, saying; "Even though none of those
directly involved are still alive, we ask their descendants and
relatives along with the still existing groups of the Reform Movement
for forgiveness for our failings. . . .
From amongst these critics, some of whom explained their opposition
by their expectation of Jesus return in early summer 1915, a fixed group
established itself over the course of the year. Some later found a
place back in an Adventist congregation, but the majority of the
objectors remained part of this “Seventh-day Adventist Reform Movement”
which rejected any form of military service altogether.
The
circular letter of August 2, 1914, was criticized by the Adventist
Church World Leadership based in the USA, and was later withdrawn with
regret by the German Church Leadership in 1920, and again in 1923. This
attempt at reconciliation failed however, as had previous attempts from
both sides soon after the First World War ended. As a result, two
Adventist camps existed during the time of the Weimar Republic: the
traditional Seventh-day Adventists, and the Reformed Seventh-day
Adventists, who subsequently divided into a number of further smaller
groups due to internal conflicts. Most dissolved prior to the start of
the Nazi regime, and the remaining groups soon came to the attention of
the new rulers, since they refused to participate in elections. In 1936
the Gestapo dissolved the Reform Movement. Most of the smaller groups
were outlawed in the same year, the remainder in 1937 and 1942.
END OF QUOTE
I find it interesting how the portion of the 7DA's who broke off from the larger group (because they apparently stood up conscientiously for something good) were the ones who ultimately nearly disappeared.
The opposing faction finally brought about the disfellowshipment from
the organization of the followers of the original principles of faith." . . .
In the same year, SDA leaders made another declaration, as follows:
"In the beginning of the war there were some members, as there are
also in other places, who did not want to take part in war service,
either because of their lack of unity, or because of fanaticism. They
started to spread around their foolish ideas in the congregation by word
and in writing, trying to convince others to do the same. They were
admonished by the church, but because of their obstinacy they had to be
put out, for they became a threat to internal and external peace." –Stuttgarter Neues Tagblatt, September 26, 1918.
Those disfellowshipped from the Seventh-day Adventist Church, not
only in Germany but also in many other countries in Europe, had no
intention of starting a new church. They were about 4,000 in number.
