Center on Conscience & War

The Center on Conscience & War (CCW), formerly the National Council for Religious Conscientious Objectors and the National Interreligious Service Board for Conscientious Objectors, is a United States non-profit anti-war organization located in Washington, D.C., dedicated to defending and extending the rights of conscientious objectors.

History

The group was organized as National Council for Religious Conscientious Objectors on October 5, 1940, by the three historic peace churches in response to the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, which introduced the first peacetime draft in the United States. The Selective Service Act provided for work of national importance and an alternative to military service for conscientious objectors. The immediate task of this group was to advise conscientious objectors and create a structure for the proposed alternative service. On November 26, 1940, National Council for Religious Conscientious Objectors was merged with a similar organization, Civilian Service Board, to become National Service Board for Religious Objectors (NSBRO).

In the following months additional groups became interested in the work of NSBRO and positions on the governing board was expanded to include representatives from the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Fellowship of Peace of the Methodist Church, Disciples of Christ and Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America. During this first year a total of fifteen groups became members of NSBRO and by the end of the war this number grew to thirty nine.

During its first year, 3000 conscientious objectors were referred to NSBRO by Selective Service. In all, nearly 12,000 World War II COs would be handled by NSBRO. The program for conscientious objectors, Civilian Public Service (CPS), was under civilian control with NSBRO responsible for working with the government and representing the interests of the churches and other groups involved.

The work of NSBRO was divided into three sections.