Daniel Seeger
Encyclopedia
Daniel Andrew Seeger is a retired American non-profit-business administrator, and a Quaker religion and social-issue writer, who was earlier a defendant in a case on conscription
of pacifists
that was decided by the Supreme Court
.
Seeger had come from a Roman Catholic background, been heavily influenced by Quaker
ideas, and volunteered with the American Friends Service Committee
(AFSC). In 1958, he was denied conscientious-objector
status under the 1948 military-draft law
, on grounds that his religious beliefs did not constitute "belief in a Supreme Being"; he was eventually ordered to enter the armed forces
, and convicted of draft refusal. In 1965, the Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Seeger
that his conviction was mistaken, because Congress, in its statutory language, "did not intend" using "the usual understanding" of "Supreme Being", but rather an interpretation that extended to Seeger's "compulsion" to "goodness".
Seeger made a career in the administration of the AFSC. In the 1980s and 90s he wrote four pamphlets for publication by the Quaker Universalist Fellowship
, and two by the Quaker study-center publisher Pendle Hill
. He retired in September 2000 from the role of executive director of Pendle Hill.
On April 1, 2010, Seeger stepped into the role of Interim General Secretary at the AFSC, pending the conclusion of the search for a permanent General Secretary, following the resignation of Mary Ellen McNish on March 31.
Conscription in the United States
Conscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War...
of pacifists
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
that was decided by the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
.
Seeger had come from a Roman Catholic background, been heavily influenced by Quaker
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
ideas, and volunteered with the American Friends Service Committee
American Friends Service Committee
The American Friends Service Committee is a Religious Society of Friends affiliated organization which works for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world...
(AFSC). In 1958, he was denied conscientious-objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
status under the 1948 military-draft law
Selective Service System
The Selective Service System is a means by which the United States government maintains information on those potentially subject to military conscription. Most male U.S. citizens and male immigrant non-citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 are required by law to have registered within 30 days of...
, on grounds that his religious beliefs did not constitute "belief in a Supreme Being"; he was eventually ordered to enter the armed forces
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
, and convicted of draft refusal. In 1965, the Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Seeger
United States v. Seeger
United States v. Seeger, 380 U.S. 163 , was a case in which the United States Supreme Court ruled that the exemption from the military draft for conscientious objectors could not be reserved only for those professing conformity with the moral directives of a supreme being, but also for those whose...
that his conviction was mistaken, because Congress, in its statutory language, "did not intend" using "the usual understanding" of "Supreme Being", but rather an interpretation that extended to Seeger's "compulsion" to "goodness".
Seeger made a career in the administration of the AFSC. In the 1980s and 90s he wrote four pamphlets for publication by the Quaker Universalist Fellowship
Quaker Universalist Fellowship
The Quaker Universalist Fellowship is a religious organization serving predominantly individuals with a prior association with the Religious Society of Friends , and a universalist understanding of Quaker teachings and traditions...
, and two by the Quaker study-center publisher Pendle Hill
Pendle Hill Quaker Center for Study and Contemplation
Pendle Hill is a Quaker study and retreat center located on a campus in suburban Wallingford, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. It was named for the hill in Lancashire, England, that the first Quaker preacher described as the site of his calling to ministry....
. He retired in September 2000 from the role of executive director of Pendle Hill.
On April 1, 2010, Seeger stepped into the role of Interim General Secretary at the AFSC, pending the conclusion of the search for a permanent General Secretary, following the resignation of Mary Ellen McNish on March 31.
See also
- In stillness there is fullness: a peacemaker's harvest: essays and reflections in honor of Daniel A. Seeger's four decades of Quaker service; edited by Peter Bien and Chuck FagerChuck FagerCharles Eugene Fager , known as Chuck Fager, is an American activist, an author, an editor, a publisher and an outspoken and prominent member of the Religious Society of Friends. He is known for his work in both the 1960s Civil Rights Movement and in the Peace movement...
, Belfonte, Pennsylvania, Kimo Press, ISBN 0-947177-17-8