Conscientious objection

This refusal to participate in military service on moral or religious grounds may arise from a variety of reasons. The individual may object to taking part in any form of bloodshed (universal objection) or because of belief that a particular war is unjust (selective objection). Although many states recognize the right of conscientious objection, most require some alternative form of service (often for a longer period of time); this is intended, among other reasons, to test the individual's sincerity. An extension of the principle includes objection to other civil duties, such as oath-taking or tax-paying; and the carrying out of illegal activity essential to particular beliefs, such as polygamy or rituals involving prohibited drugs. There is an argument that conscientious objection harms nobody and that it is a private affair between the individual and the state; it may be said that the paternalism of the state should yield to the conscience of the individual.