NASHVILLE, Tenn. (USA Today Network) As moviegoers file into theaters for Mel Gibson’s bloody World War II biopic, members of Nashville First Seventh-day Adventist Church will be outside sharing the story of the man who inspired the film.
Andrew Garfield stars as Desmond Doss in “Hacksaw Ridge.” Photo by Mark Rogers, courtesy of Lionsgate
“Hacksaw Ridge” tells the extraordinary true story of the late Desmond Doss, a devout Seventh-day Adventist who refused to carry a weapon due to religious beliefs while serving as a combat medic. He became the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor after rescuing at least 75 soldiers during the violent battle for Okinawa in 1945.
The Hillsboro-West End congregation expects “Hacksaw Ridge” to spur questions for those unfamiliar with their Christian denomination and Doss, and they want to help answer them, said Melvin Santos, the church’s pastor.
That’s why a group of them will be handing out small booklets about the World War II hero and Adventism at Nashville-area theaters as well as at their church.
“We just wanted to share a little bit more insight because of his faith, his commitment, his dedication not only to serve his God but also his country,” Santos said. “We’re in the heart of Nashville so if people are coming we also have an opportunity to field questions or invite them to know more about the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the church Desmond Doss was faithfully committed to.”
Doss died in 2006 and is buried at Chattanooga National Cemetery. His story is well known within the church, but less so outside of it. That’s all about to change since talk of “Hacksaw Ridge” as an awards-season contender has already started, and some critics are calling it Gibson’s comeback film after the director’s 2006 anti-Semitic outburst during a drunken-driving arrest.
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The expected popularity of the Hollywood depiction of one of Adventism’s inspirational members will be felt inside the church, too. Members likely will be the most affected by the film, said Daniel Weber, the director of communication for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America.
“People will go see the film and then say, ‘Hey, Desmond was a Seventh-day Adventist.’ That was talked about in the film. That was talked about in all the reviews you read,” Weber said. “And if they know a Seventh-day Adventist, they may say, ‘Hey, tell me about this. What do you know about Desmond Doss? What’s this belief of the Sabbath that you have? Or are all of you vegetarian like Desmond was?’”
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has about 18 million members worldwide, including more than 278,000 in eight Southern states. The North America division of the church put together a series of talking points on the film, Weber said. The Desmond Doss Council, the group committed to protecting Doss’ story, helped compile that information.
While the denomination does proselytize, the church views the movie not as an evangelism tool, but as an outreach opportunity, he said.
“I think it’s going to be a good awareness piece for us,” Weber said.
Doss’ adherence to the Ten Commandments, specifically keeping the Sabbath and not killing, as well as his Bible are key parts of the movie’s storyline. The combat medic, played by actor Andrew Garfield, volunteered for the military and had to fight for permission to go into battle unarmed in the face of hostility from his fellow soldiers and commands from his superiors.
Seventh-day Adventists recognize the Sabbath on Saturdays and they take it seriously — it’s referenced in their name and is one of the commandments, Weber said. And they take a position of nonviolence and are supportive of military service, but leave it up to the individual on whether they serve as noncombatants, he said.
“We respect that’s their own personal opinion, that’s their own conscience,” Weber said. “(Doss) really felt that he needed to hold to those commandments. … He felt he needed to stand up for his country and defend his country, but at the same time help save life, not take it.”
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Many older Adventists grew up hearing about Doss’ valor and heroism. In the last couple decades of his life, Doss frequently shared his story with church members, especially the young people, Weber said. He taught them how to tie the special knot he used to lower all the men he rescued down the sheer rock face of the Maeda Escarpment that the U.S. soldiers called Hacksaw Ridge.
Steve Rose, the executive secretary of the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, which includes Middle Tennessee, hosted Doss as a speaker when he was a pastor of a church in Alabama. He remembers being inspired by his story as a student and again in 1968 when the U.S. Army permitted him to serve unarmed at an evacuation hospital in Vietnam.
“He influenced many, many young Seventh-day Adventists through the years with his story of his convictions and his courage,” Rose said. “I think there are some who have mistakenly thought that the Adventist church was against the military or against serving in the military, and I hope that it (the movie) clears up some of the misconceptions some have.”
The church isn’t pushing the movie because it’s not theirs to push, Weber said. That means they’re not telling members they must go see it, especially since the war movie earned an R rating for prolonged and graphic violence.
Santos will not be encouraging his Nashville congregation to see the film. He screened the movie in October and found it to be an inspirational telling of Doss’ story, demonstrating how he lived through the atrocities of war and remained true to his faith and convictions. Santos wants his members to decide for themselves whether they should watch it.
“One of the things that we teach usually is to be careful what you watch on TV and in movies. Actually, in the past, Adventists have discouraged Adventists from going to theaters because of what it shows, the content of the films,” Santos said. “It’s not just having Christ in your life, but making sure you’re doing your part to live a life that you only want things that are good that will not necessarily destroy your moral values.”
Weber met Doss several years before he died. He became intimately familiar with Doss’ story and knows those who produced the documentary “The Conscientious Objector,” about the combat medic’s life. Scenes from the documentary flash at the end of “Hacksaw Ridge.”
While Hollywood took some liberties, Weber said “Hacksaw Ridge” does a good job of protecting Doss’ legacy, and Weber is excited that it will introduce the staunch believer to new generations across the globe.
“I think his story is something that we can uphold,” Weber said. “We live in a world that’s very contentious right now and here’s someone who very simply stood up for what he believes no matter what, no matter how difficult the circumstances were. And because of it he was able to greatly impact and affect a lot of people’s lives.”
(Holly Meyer writes for The Tennessean. Follow her on Twitter: @HollyAMeyer)
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