The Watchtower, “Strengthening Our Confidence in God's Righteousness”
“In the past, some Witnesses have suffered for refusing to share in an activity that their conscience now might permit. For example, this might have been their choice years ago as to certain types of civilian service.”
Under the subheading about feelings of having suffered needlessly; the article says such ones have no reason to regret following their conscience.
Official source (opens in new tab)
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower, Strengthening Our Confidence in God's Righteousness
Confidence note. Opened on wol.jw.org; wording and page confirmed.
Corroborated by. src-w-1996-0501-paying-back-caesar
Notes. Organisation's own acknowledgement that the earlier stance had personal cost.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-w-1998-0815-suffered-needlessly